Nov - Dec 2008

The
SETOFF
The Official Publication of NARCOA
North American Railcar Operators Association
November / December 2008
Volume 22 - No. 6
Rule Changes
Excursion Coordinator
Changes
Inspecting the Cumbres
& Toltec Scenic
MT-14 Spring Suspension
The
SETOFF
Volume 22 - No. 6
The SETOFF is the official publication of
the North American Railcar Operators Association (NARCOA) and is published bimonthly
to promote safe legal operation of railroad motorcars, and to encourage fellowship and exchange of information among motorcar
enthusiasts. Membership in NARCOA, which
includes a subscription to The SETOFF is $30
per year, and is available from Secretary Joel
Williams. Please send your check made out to
NARCOA to:
Joel Williams, Membership
Box 802
Lock Haven, PA 17745
Wayne Parsons, SETOFF Editor
13380 Golden Valley Lane
Granada Hills, CA 91344
[email protected]
Deby Springer, SETOFF Proofreader
Leon Sapp, SETOFF Assistant Editor for
Announcements
The SETOFF is printed by
Greg Kightlinger, GEK Printing
All subscriptions and address changes
must go to the Secretary. All materials for publication must go to the Editor.
Materials received by the 15th of even
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authentication. All such letters will be printed
as discussed in the NARCOA policy book.
For more information about NARCOA,
the safe legal operation of motorcars, or to find
NARCOA affiliates located in Canada, the
United States, and Mexico, please see our official website at:
www.narcoa.org
© Copyright 2008 - NARCOA. All rights
reserved. Reproduction, by any means, in
whole or part, by any party, is strictly prohibited.
On The Cover: West portal of
Rock Tunnel, elevation 9,631 ft., on the
C&TSRR at MP 315.2. Photo by Bernie
Leadon Aug. 20, 2008.
Page 2
The SETOFF
President’s Message
Mark Springer
This is my first letter to you as President of NARCOA. A good number of you
know me, but there are many more that do
not. I want to take this opportunity to tell
you a little bit about myself and my involvement in the hobby. My wife, Deby,
and I went on our first motorcar ride in
1990, where we met Hank Brown. One
ride and we were hooked on the hobby. In
the years since then we have had the opportunity to attend rides in various parts of
the U.S and Canada, with the majority of
the rides being in the middle section of the
U.S. I became an Excursion Coordinator
when the “New NARCOA” formed and
have worked on many rides as either an assistant or head EC since then. I have been
involved with the NARCOA Board of Director’s for about 8 years. I have served
on the Judicial and Legal Forms Committees, and before being elected as the Director of Area 9 four years ago, I served as
a Director at Large for 4 years. I appreciate the confidence placed in me by the
members from Area 9, and now by the
board of directors. My goal as a board
member and president is to do what I can
to protect and grow our great hobby.
There are many dedicated and unsung
heroes who contribute during the year and
then come to the board meeting to work on
the decidedly less than fun part of this
hobby. Their work in negotiating insurance rates, keeping records current, dealing with radio issues, developing
Excursion Coordinator standards, etc. is
the part of the hobby that most do not see.
The list of volunteers is long and their help
is much appreciated. I especially want to
thank Warren Riccitelli for the countless
hours of work he put in as President of
NARCOA last year. I also want to welcome 2 new board members. Hal Johnson,
of Minnesota, was appointed by the board
to complete the remaining year of Hank
Brown’s term as Director of Area 6. Margaret Hope was named as Director at Large
to replace Dave Verzi, who was elected to
replace Bruce Carpenter as Director of
Area 3.
So, your probably wondering what
happened at the board meeting that occurred in September. Currently the minutes are being transcribed and need to be
proof read and approved by the board before they can be published. That process is
ongoing, and they should be published in
the next SETOFF. One of the more controversial tasks was the Excursion Coordinator program. Our new program is
written up in a separate article on page 11.
A couple of reminders before I close,
first, the insurance renewals should be included with this mailing. Secondly, this is
the year that everyone must renew their operator’s certification. The test should also
be included in this mailing. Please don’t
wait until the last minute to perform either
task. See you on the rails!
President’s Message ..........................2
NARCOA Officials ...........................3
From The Editor................................3
Directors’ Messages ..........................4
Backwoods Railroading ....................6
South Kansas & Oklahoma RR.........6
Pennsylvania Excursions ..................7
Central New Jersey Excursions ........7
Finger Lakes Railway .......................8
Western Maryland Scenic RR ...........9
Wheeling & Lake Erie ......................9
Great Lakes Central RR ..................10
NY Susquehanna & Western...........10
Rules Committee.............................11
Excursion Coord. Changes..............11
Additional Radio Channels .............13
2008 Narrow Gauge Tour................14
Inspecting Cumbres & Toltec..........16
First Iowa Division October Runs ..18
Speeder Roundhouse.......................19
Speeder Shed...................................19
M19 Alternator Belt ........................19
MT-14 Spring Suspension...............20
Motorcar Derailment.......................21
Riding With Joe...............................21
Operations Committee Report ........22
Insurance Renewal ..........................22
Letter from Carol Brown ................22
Excursion Announcements..............23
Wanted & For Sale ..........................25
Spotlight On An Affiliate (First Iowa
Division) ..........................Back Cover
In This Issue
Nov. / Dec. 2008
NARCOA Officials
President: Mark Springer
Vice-President: Bobby Moreman
Secretary: Joel Williams
Treasurer: Tom Norman
Area 1 Director
(ME, NH, VT, NY, MA, CT, RI)
Warren Riccitelli (401) 231-5640
[email protected]
Area 2 Director
(NJ, PA, DE, MD)
Joel Williams (570) 786-1335
[email protected]
Area 3 Director
(IN, Lower MI, OH)
Dave Verzi (216) 941-5273
[email protected]
Area 4 Director
(WV, VA, KY, NC, SC, TN)
Tom Falicon (828) 488-8063
[email protected]
Area 5 Director
(MS, AL, GA, FL)
Bobby Moreman (770) 457-6212
[email protected]
Area 6 Director
(MN, WI, IL, Upper MI)
Hal Johnson (612) 295-1419
[email protected]
Area 7 Director
(ND, SD, NE, IA)
Carl Schneider (515) 967-5181
[email protected]
Area 8 Director
(Canada, World outside U.S.)
Warren Froese (204) 668-8311
[email protected]
Area 9 Director
(AR, CO, KS, LA, MO, OK, TX)
Mark Springer (316) 721-4804
143 North Arcadia
Wichita, KS 67212
[email protected]
Area 10 Director
(WA, OR, ID, MT, AK, WY)
Jim Spicer (541) 344-3079
[email protected]
Area 11 Director
(CA, NV, UT, AZ, NM, HI)
Pat Coleman (925) 979-1030
[email protected]
Director-at-Large (non–voting)
Margaret Hope (604) 320-7613
[email protected]
Director-at-Large (non–voting)
Bernie Leadon (615) 478-3660
[email protected]
Nominations, Elections
Carl Anderson
1330 Rosedale Ln.
Hoffman Estates, IL 60195
[email protected]
NARCOA Insurance Administrator
Tom Norman (406) 722-3012
1047 Terrace View Drive
Alberton, MT 59820
[email protected]
Rule Book CertificationTest
Al McCracken
2916 Taper Avenue
Santa Clara, CA 95051
[email protected]
Judiciary Chair
Al Elliott (732) 536-7460
4 Woodview Drive
Manalapan, NJ 07726
[email protected]
Safety Chair
Bob Knight (815) 786-3096
[email protected]
Rules Chair
Jim McKeel (316) 721-4378
[email protected]
The SETOFF Editor
Wayne Parsons (818) 368-5942
13380 Golden Valley lane
Granada Hills, CA 91344-1118
[email protected]
NARCOA Webmaster
Keith Mackey (352) 347-0770
[email protected]
NARCOA Forum Moderator
Rich Stivers (408) 264-1048
[email protected]
Committee Chairs
Operations ……..…………... Pat Coleman
Rules ..……………….…...… Jim McKeel
Judiciary .................................... Al Elliott
Safety ..……………............… Bob Knight
Affiliates .................................. Dave Verzi
Custom-Built Motorcars ........ Tom Falicon
Communications ..……..…. Bernie Leadon
Data and Computer ................ Pat Coleman
FRA ........................................ Ron Zammit
Legal Forms ........................ Mark Springer
S
NARCOA Licensed Radio Call Sign
WPHT745
Channel 1 – 151.625 MHz
Channel 2 – 151.505 MHz
Channel 3 – 158.400 MHz
The SETOFF
From The
Editor
As The SETOFF Editor, I attended the
annual meeting for the first time. Two
things struck me. First, I was surprised to
see how efficiently the meeting is conducted. Secondly, I now see that the annual meeting plays a vital part in the health
of our organization.
The meeting takes place over two
days. On Friday morning, committee reports are presented giving the board an
overview of issues that need action. In the
afternoon general business is conducted.
This year, corrections to the Excursion Coordinator list were made at this time. The
hot issue was refinement of the EC program. In attendance were the Presidents of
two affiliates, and both were named to the
EC committee. After dinner, the committees meet to do their work. Saturday starts
with a closed session where the entire
board reviews the Judicial Committee actions. Then the open Saturday session continues with agenda items. After lunch the
agenda is finished, and new business coming out of the committee meetings is discussed. This is a great sequence. The
BOD gets an idea of the issues on day one,
committees work on the issues in the
evening, finally on day two the issues get
acted on by the whole BOD.
The meeting's vital role in NARCOA's health is the face to face nature. Email does not convey nuance and a spirit
of cooperation. E-mail tends to become
toxic with sharp exchanges. In the place
of e-mail's impersonal nature, the meeting
was done with great courtesy to others.
Everyone listened to the speakers. People
were not interrupted. Genuine efforts to
understand each other and find a way forward were the norm. People who were at
odds with each other worked for the good
of the club. There were some hurts and
disappointments. However, on many subjects and in many relationships, there was
healing. NARCOA needs that annual healing. NARCOA needs its annual meeting.
Wayne Parsons - Editor
Correction:
Ken Ley’s name was misspelled throughout
the September issue as Lay. The Editor apologizes to Ken, and reminds readers trying to
contact him about Canadian “birth papers” to
please use [email protected] for his email address.
Nov. / Dec. 2008
Page 3
Area Three
IN, Lower MI, OH
Dave Verzi
While thanking and acknowledging
Bruce Carpenter for his past four years
service to our area as Director, I look forward to serving and assisting as Area Director and communicating with Area 3's
membership. My focus is to provide support from NARCOA to the folks who our
putting us on the rails as our coordinators
and assisting the general membership with
any questions concerns that they may have.
In our area we need a few more active coordinators as well as experienced assistance in the areas of mentoring and the
continued promotion of safe operating
practices. There is potential to operate on
more railroads, especially the smaller museum organizations, and there is frequently
a deficit of experienced members willing
to properly mentor new operators, placing
the burden on the coordinator.
This past NARCOA board meeting
was quite productive, While the minutes
are forthcoming, we can look forward to a
comprehensive Excursion Coordinator certification program that addresses proper
mentoring of coordinators without being
overly cumbersome and restrictive. There
will be a few new rule additions or
changes. They are generally procedural
and evolutionary and do not require participants to make changes other than understanding them. The data and roster
data-base is also progressing, and there
was considerable discussion of the improved Setoff and timely distribution.
We have been fortunate to have had
several enjoyable excursions the past few
weeks. I had enjoyable trips on the Great
Lakes Central, Wheeling & Lake Erie and
the Akron Metro. Thanks to coordinators
Mike Ford, Jeff Levengood and Alan
Wilber for their efforts.
Should you wish to be in touch regarding NARCOA related questions in
Ohio, Michigan or Indiana, a note via email is preferred, as I can often answer
sooner via email than through a phone call.
Dave Verzi
C
Page 4
The SETOFF
Area Four
KY, NC, SC, TN, VA, WV
Tom Falicon
Hello all,
2008 Meeting Review - Hopefully by
now all of you Area “Fourites” have been
able to read my 2008 NARCOA Board
Meeting review that I emailed to all the
Area Four members that I had addresses
for. I changed computers this year so I unfortunately may have lost your email address that I used for the 2007 review or you
may have changed your address because
many got bounced back to me. If you’d
like a copy of my 2008 review or if you’d
like to be included on the mailing list once
again, please email me at; [email protected] and I will put you on our
list. There’s no need for me to review the
2008 meeting in this column, there will be
much info about it written by others
throughout this issue. If you do have any
questions about any of it, please feel free to
contact me to clear up any issue.
'ew Rules - Love em’ or hate
em’………….. we have to have rules in
order to operate in an active and inherently
dangerous railroad environment. Our
Rules committee has created and modified
some rules that we felt were necessary for
the safety of all. Please read these proposed rules elsewhere in this edition and if
you have any issues or modifications you
would like to see take place, please contact
me with your concerns. The Board does
not vote these new rules or rule modifications into place until all Area Reps have reviewed them with their members and taken
care of any concerns that have been raised.
'ew Pres. – Congrats to Mark
Springer our new NARCOA President.
Mark has proved himself as a keystone of
the NARCOA Judiciary Committee for
years and lately as an Area Nine Director.
Mark will do a grand job as our leader for
2009 and help advance our organization as
it edges towards the next decade. We all
owe a large thank you, a pat on the back
and maybe a donut or two to Warren Riccitelli for a hard job, well done during his
2008 presidency. Speaking from first hand
experience being a NARCOA President is
one of the toughest jobs ever! The pay
sucks and it seems that no matter what decision you make, someone’s going to be
mad at you. Even when you create a plan
Nov. / Dec. 2008
that has the utmost honorable intention for
the entire organization you sometimes get
spanked down and it hurts. Warren, welcome to the former NARCOA presidents
club, your lapel pin is in the mail!
2009 Insurance – We can thank Tom
Norman for getting us insurance rates for
2009 that are even lower than I quoted in
my board Meeting review….. Thanks Tom
!!!
ACWR Excursion – I was invited to
attend an excursion on the Aberdeen, Carolina & Western RR in Troy, NC a few
weeks back. The event was hosted ROC
affiliate members Rick Tufts, Carey
Boney, Tom Stallings and Earl Barber.
This was only the second event for them
on this RR but the guys put safety first, had
some great emergency planning in place
and a great time was had by all. One example of prior planning that I was proud to
see put into place was the fact that the
event EC’s did some research and found
that we are having too many followingtoo-close incidents, so that issue was the
main focal point of their safety meeting.
As we all noted after the excursion, each
event is a learning experience and if everyone runs safely and we didn’t hold up any
trains, future runs will just keep getting
better. Good job guys!
GSMR 'ew Years Run Extra Fun –
If two days running through the NC mountains and a New Year’s Eve dinner party is
not enough for you, we have added a new
twist to our New Years Festivities! Carl
Hymen, the EC on the Blue Ridge Scenic
RR northern GA, is running excursions the
days after ours. After you run two days on
the Great Smoky Mountains RR drive an
hour and a half down the road and run two
more days on the beautiful Blue Ridge
Scenic RR, refer to www.narcoa.org for all
the sign-up details.
The Holidays are here already! –
This is the annual edition of the newsletter
where I ask you guys to come together and
enjoy your family and friends over the
Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons. Go
to your get-togethers with love in your
heart and good food in your hands and
enjoy each other before time marches on
and we are all just memories!
Wishing you the Happiest of Holidays,
Tom Falicon, your Area Four NARCOA
rep.
e
Area Six
Area Seven
Hal Johnson
Carl Schneider
MN, WI, IL, Upper MI
How Do You Replace A Legend?
The NARCOA family lost a great
friend this past summer, when Hank
Brown passed away after battling a serious
illness with a courage that inspired us all.
The simple fact is that you can never replace a person like Hank who over the
years was instrumental in so many aspects
of our hobby.
He served many of us as a friend,
mentor, Excursion Coordinator, board
member and advocate. The best that anyone can do is to honor his memory by helping, in some small way, to carry on
the work of our hobby.
A few short weeks ago, I was humbled
and honored to be elected by the NARCOA Board to complete Hank’s one year
unexpired term in Area 6, which represents
members in Illinois, Minnesota and Wisconsin. I have been involved with our
track inspection car hobby since 1999.
Now, I wish to give back some of my time
and energy to the organization, like Hank
and others before us have done.
I believe there are three objectives that
are important to secure NARCOA’s future.
The first is to grow our hobby by developing strategies to encourage new and
younger members to join the organization
and operate in a safe and responsible
“common sense” manner. Second, since
safety is our most visible tool we use to
promote the hobby, I will actively support
practices that encourage and ensure the
safest possible operating environment for
our members and guests. Finally, as new
railroad employees replace our long-standing “friends” in the industry, we need to
earn the confidence and trust of a new generation of railroad managers.
My hope is that, in addition to these
objectives, you will allow me the opportunity to serve your needs. As Area 6 Director, I will represent your interests and
respond to your concerns. Please let me
know how I can help make our hobby a
more fulfilling experience for you and
your passengers, recognizing the role that
each of us plays in safely conducting our
activities on/off the rails. I will try my best
to earn your trust and confidence. Call or
e-mail me if there is anything I can do.
Hal Johnson 612-925-1419
[email protected]
Area Ten
ND, SD, NE, IA
WA, OR, ID, MT, AK, WY
The 2009 NARCOA Board meeting is
now behind us, and many of us are winding down our riding season. Membership
has dropped to a little over 1600, so we
need to continue to promote the hobby and
attract new members so the club can grow.
The number of members buying insurance remains essentially level with
some not renewing, but with new members
taking up the slack. We need to keep this
number up or increase it in order to maintain a lower affordable cost for insurance.
I was happy to see some members
other than Board and officers present at the
meeting, and I would encourage all of you
to come join us, so you can see the inner
workings of NARCOA, and even add your
comments concerning issues before the
Board. Your concerns and ideas are what
this meeting is all about.
Area 7 had many excursions throughout the summer months even though some
were affected by the flooding in June; we
had a very good season. Only one railroad
is still working to repair their tracks from
washouts, and much of that line is already
repaired and open to train traffic – and
motor cars!
With the ride season now officially
over in our area, it’s time to concentrate on
repairing our cars for 2009. Bumping up
and down the tracks can shake nuts and
bolts loose, so take some extra time this
winter to get your cars in good shape.
Don’t wait until that first ride in 2009 before you begin your repairs, because we’ll
be back on the rails before you know it.
Greetings from the far corner. We
have just returned from a very successful
board meeting.
Bill Taylor was put on the committee
to write new EC guidelines. With Bill's
help, in a meeting that lasted until midnight, new rules for Excursion Coordinators that seem sane and sensible were
worked out. The new EC's that had not
been added to the list and old ones that had
been left off the active list are now all on
the current EC list. Many topics were discussed. Some rules were reworded to
make them easier to understand. All
changes are printed in this Setoff for your
inspection. Any you do not understand, or
you think should be corrected, should be
brought to the attention of your director.
I feel there is a misconception of the
way the board operates. All meetings are
open to all members and comments are
freely accepted during discussions. One of
the agenda items was transparency of the
organization. The directors and board are
all volunteers; we all have the same goal,
to ride the rails. There is no secret agenda.
We need input from members and probably should do a better job of communicating with the members. We need both
trickle up and trickle down to make the
system work to full advantage.
Rather than cover rule changes and
new EC guidelines in my report you can
read that information in the articles on
page 11 of this Setoff. The minutes of the
meeting probably won't make this issue because of Setoff deadline.
This year Pat and I took Amtrak's Empire Builder. One thing I can tell you for
sure, it's a long way from Coburg OR to
Chicago, IL
Now would be a good time to winterize your car, or start your winter maintenance. Let's all think spring.
Jim
Take The Test
A rule book test will be inserted in
this issue of The Setoff. Take the test
and send the completed test along with a
stamped self addressed business size envelope to: Al McCracken, 2916 Taper
Avenue, Santa Clara, CA 95951. If you
successfully answer 20 of the 25 questions, Al will mail you your new NARCOA Certificate of Examination Card.
Jim Spicer
v
2009 NARCOA Annual Meeting
September 25-26, 2009
Sheraton Gateway Suites
6501 North Mannheim Road
Rosemont, IL 60018
This meeting is open to all paid NARCOA members.
The SETOFF
Nov. / Dec. 2008
Page 5
BACKWOODS RAILROADING
By Jim Massfeller & Larry Robb
In 1983 most of the former Rockton
& Rion Railway near Columbia, SC, was
donated to the South Carolina Railroad
Museum. They operate tourist trains on
five miles of the “east end.” While working on the train crews, Jim Massfeller and
Larry Robb became good friends and
started discussing restoring the rest of the
track. The “west end” starts at mile post
5.0 and runs six
miles to an old
quarry. We started
the west end restoration project because
we are concerned
about encroachment
on the right of way.
Fairfield County is
rural, only 30 miles
north of Columbia,
and the old farms are
starting to be sold off
and subdivided.
The first year
we hauled five gallon water jugs filled
with weed killer and
chain saws in our
cars out to the various
road crossings. By clearing everything
that could be seen from the road, the track
at least looked in service. In the early
spring of the second year, Jim bought a
MT-14. We soon learned that backwoods
railroading is something special and nothing like a NARCOA Excursion.
We are out there alone with no radio
communications in areas where cell
phones do not work. As we are both retired, we decided to use brains and tools instead of our aching backs. We quickly
added a farm jack and two eight foot long
4x4’s hung on the outside of the speeder
for re-railing. We carry a deluxe first aid
kit, a good set of tools, and lots of spare
parts. The track is classified as “excepted”
and has a 5 mph “official” speed limit, but
this is usually too high. We travel at less
than idle speed.
By the end of the second year, after
cutting the trees and saplings between the
rails out of the way, we made it to the endof track at MP 11.5. The third year the museum bought us a spray system, and we
starting spraying seriously. With the help
of Rodger Stroup and George Newport, we
are now clearing at least ten feet on each
Page 6
The SETOFF
side of the track. This is all chainsaw
work. The hard part is moving what you
cut away from the track.
Now that the rail is open again, and
the weeds are dead, we have run into another problem: rotted ties. Most of our
wooden ties are at least 50 years old, and
there are many areas where there are no
spikes visible, because they have fallen
into the rotten ties.
There is nothing left
of many of the ties
to hold the rails in
gauge except for all
of the fire ants holding hands! We have
learned to be careful
watching the track
ahead of us as we
go. A sharp angle at
a rail joint is the best
indicator of a gauge
problem.
The original
builders used granite from the quarry
to build the solid
road bed. However,
Photo by Jim Massfeller they used large rubble rock chunks instead of proper ballast.
In some places you can see where, to level
the rails, they notched the ties to fit around
the larger stones. The granite rubble is
now so solid that it needs to be removed
with pry bars one chunk at a time.
The Museum is buying gauge rods for
$22 and new ties for about $38. We started
installing gauge rods at each track joint
where a tie once was, because the rotted tie
is easily dug out. The Museum hopes to
obtain grant money to rebuild the entire
West End, and extend the run of its tourist
trains. In the meantime we are out there
on a regular basis, improving the track,
keeping the right of way open, and simply
being visible. We often take a break at
road crossings, and just chat with people
when they stop to see what we are doing.
Returning unused track to service is hard
work, but worth doing.
Our efforts help keep the South Carolina Railroad Museum (www.scrm.org)
open to anyone. The Museum membership fee of $25 provides insurance coverage. The museum recognizes NARCOA
Operator Certification, so join up and
come visit anytime.
Nov. / Dec. 2008
Photo by Leon Sapp
Heart of the Heartlands Museum
opened their Corona Depot.
South Kansas
& Oklahoma RR
By Leon Sapp
Altamont, KS – July 19, 2008 Event
Coordinator Mark Springer arranged another great run on the South Kansas &
Oklahoma Railroad. Nine motorcars, and
one hy-rail, set-on at Altamont, KS at 8:00
am and proceeded East on a typically hot
and muggy July day. After crossing the
Union Pacific (former M-K-T) main line
at Oswego, and the up to its banks Neosho
River, the group switched from the former
Frisco trackage to former Missouri Pacific
trackage for the final leg into Corona,
Kansas. Our host provided flagging at the
interlocking and several major road crossings. Under our railroad escort’s watchful
eye, we ‘walked’ across the spring frog at
Sherwin Junction.
At Corona, the Heart of the Heartlands Museum opened their facilities to us
for a leisurely lunch in air conditioned
comfort. The museum has an extensive
collection of railroad equipment and artifacts including a 1937 BUDA motorcar in
operating condition, which has seen an occasional short run of its own. The group
took advantage of the long break to enjoy
the displays before returning to Altamont,
where an optional side trip on to Cherryvale Kansas was offered to the group.
The South Kansas & Oklahoma Railroad, one of the extensive holdings of the
Webb Company, has been a consistent host
of NARCOA events, and several of its employees are members and motorcar owners
themselves. Thank you to Mark and the
railroad for setting up this event.
North Shore RR &
Shamokin Valley RR
Central Pennsylvania Excursions
By Dan Page
Photo by Dan Page
Sunday lunch stop in downtown Shamokin, Pennsylvania.
'orthumberland, PA– July 26, 2008.
Larry Maynard of Central Pennsylvania
Excursions coordinated a beautiful summer day run on the North Shore Railroad
that operates 44 miles of former Erie Lackawanna Railroad track.
Larry arranged for set-on at multiple
crossings in the yard. After our safety
meeting, which included Larry and his
wife Carole showing off their new granddaughter, we rolled northeast along the
north shore of the North Branch of the
Susquehanna River. Passing the farmlands
and light industries served by the North
Shore, through the towns of Dansville, and
Bloomsburg, we arrived at Berwick where
we ran down the middle of a busy street
into an industrial area. We turned there
and retraced our route back to Northumberland, stopping for lunch along the way,
for a total of 86 miles on the rail.
Sunbury, PA – July 27, 2008. On
Sunday, we rode 50 miles round trip on the
Shamokin Valley Railroad from Sunbury
to Mt. Carmel Junction. There are connections to the Norfolk Southern Railway
Photo by Jamie Haislip
Central New Jersey
By Jamie Haislip
Carpentersville, 'J - Aug. 9, 2008.
The New York Susquehanna & Western
Technical & Historical Society operates
their steam engine, the Walter G. Rich
(above), on the Belvidere Delaware RR, a
section of 155 lb welded rail track that was
part of the Pennsylvania Railroad system.
Al Elliott, Excursion Coordinator for the
North East Rail Car Association, had to
overcome a missing section of rail for this
event on the “Bel Del.” From the engine
facility at the Carpentersville Yard we ran
north to Phillipsburg, and then south to the
missing switch and returned and setoff.
After setting on again at the Gilbert Power
Plant in Holland, NJ, below the missing
rail, we continued south to the end of the
Bel Del at Milford, NJ, and back. This
The SETOFF
and Canadian Pacific Railway lines at Sunbury. The track follows Shamokin Creek
and roughly along the route of Pennsylvania Route 61. This is former Reading and
Pennsylvania Railroads trackage with 155
pound rail used to accommodate the
2-10-0 Decapod type engines pulling
heavy anthracite coal trains.
We stopped at Paxinos for a quick
look through the large flea market, and
then continued on to Shamokin. At our
lunch stop in Shamokin, the local media
had urged the locals to ‘come out and greet
the putt-putts!’ Dozens of children and
their parents talked with us, checked out
our cars, asked questions, and took photos
sitting in a speeder. What a great idea to
promote our hobby!
After lunch, we continued to our turn
around point Mount Carmel Junction.
Along that portion of the route, the track
passes an interesting environmental remediation project aimed at restoring
Shamokin Creek. Over a century of drift
mining in the area has turned the creek into
a dark orange body of water that supports
very little life. Larry arranged for a docent
from the Shamokin Creek Remediation Alliance to give us a brief talk about the project which aims to treat the acidic mine
runoff before it reaches the creek.
The participants on this excursion had
an opportunity not only to enjoy a scenic
trip, but also to have some unique learning
experiences that made the event all the
more worthwhile. Our thanks to Larry and
Carole for this great trip!
lower section of track saw quite a bit of effort last spring, by NARCOA members, to
clear back the weeds and trees. The excursion activity on this dormant section
was noticed by the Milford residents giving the line a new sense of life.
Ringoes, 'J – Aug. 10, 2008. Serious weather threatened all day as we seton the Black River and Western RR, also
operated by the historical society. This
combination freight and excursion line is
located about 20 miles north of Trenton.
From Ringoes, we rode nine miles northeast passing through Flemington almost to
the Norfolk Southern interchange at Three
Bridges, where we met the excursion train.
The railroad, reacting to reports of tornadoes in the area, ordered us to return to
Flemington and follow close behind the
train for a quick return to the station and
setoff ahead of the rain.
Nov. / Dec. 2008
Page 7
Finger Lakes
By Jamie Haislip
Geneva, 'Y – August 16/17, 2008. The Finger Lakes Railway is
blessed with the terrific scenery of its’ name sake region in western
New York state. After setting on east of Geneva, the group ran south to
the Seneca Army Depot. This leg is traditionally a night run, but people wanted to see the scenery along Seneca Lake in the day. Returning
to Geneva we ran east passing Cayuga Lake, where we spotted two
Bald Eagles, and on to Auburn. We returned west to the recreation area
at Cayuga for a nice barbecue lunch setup by our NERCA Excursion
Coordinator Warren Riccitelli. Back at Geneva some operators parked
for the night, while most of us continued south again on the night run
to the Seneca Army Depot. A little ahead of schedule, we approached
the military base during twilight where three white deer greeted us at the
gates. They didn’t pay any attention to the speeders as we rode past.
The acquisition of new track by The Finger Lakes Railway made
this year’s run more interesting. Sunday was our day to see the newly
acquired Victor branch that runs west from Geneva to Victor, NY (near
Rochester). Bruce Tracy gave an informative lecture on two two historical sites of this branch. The first site is fallen flag Lehigh Valley
Railroads’ old Manchester Yard, dismantled in the 1970's, where only
the round house, a water tower, and a small depot remain . The second
site is a bridge on the east end of the Manchester Yard where a passenger train derailed in 1911 killing 29 and injuring 62. Most of the dead
were riding in two cars of wooden construction that fell 40 feet down
into the Canandaigua Outlet. Riding this line completes all of the remaining Lehigh Valley trackage still in service.
Photos by Jamie Haislip
Clockwise: Al Elliott leaving Cayuga. Mike & Kathryn
McIlwaine on the Cayuga Lake bridge with it’s amazing
girder pattern. Set on at Blower Fertilizer plant.
Page 8
The SETOFF
Nov. / Dec. 2008
Photos by Jamie Haislip
Left: Alan Wilber is at the controls with Brendan Hoffman, photographer for the 'ewYork Times, riding along. The other riders are Connor Schneider up front and Dave Antes in back. Right: Warren Riccitelli leads a group of ten speeders on the
turntable at Frostburg MD. After the speeders turn in groups of ten, and clear, the steam engine will use the turntable.
Western Maryland Scenic RR
Ridgeley, WV - August 03, 2008. Gary Shrey coordinated this North Central Railcar Association event on the Western Maryland
Scenic RR. After setting on at the engine house in Ridgeley, the group ran the 17 miles of this scenic mountain railroad to Frostburg,
MD. Riding with the group was a photographer for the New York Times. (Go to www.nytimes.com and enter "08RAILCARS" in the
search engine.) At Frostburg, while awaiting the arrival of the steam train, the motorcars used the turntable.
Wheeling
&
Lake Erie
By Dave Verzi
Photos by Dave Verzi
Above: Wheeling & Lake Erie eastbound freight train passes the motorcars waiting to return west at the interlocking at Spencer, August 31, 2008. Left: M 14
owned by Dean Mark crosses the CSX Chicago main line at Wellington, Ohio on
the Wheeling & Lake Erie.
Wellington, OH - August 31, 2008. Thirty three motorcars participated in the Ohio Valley Railcars Sunday event on the W&LE
coordinated by Jeff Levengood. The set-on location at the Lorain County Fairgrounds was ideal with three private crossings and unlimited parking. The group ran a total of 94 miles on recently resurfaced and retied welded rail going first west to Yoemans (Bellevue), and then back east to Spencer, before returning to Wellington for setoff. At Wellington we crossed the CSX Chicago main line
to Chicago. During our stop in Spencer the traditional “Wheeling Raffle” was held where all participants won a W&LE promotional
gift (T-shirts, first aid kits, coffee cups) courtesy of our pilot, Superintendent Jim Hill. The group mingled with the Wheeling’s freight
operation at Hartland Station, where there is a small freight yard, and we as waited on one main line train at Spencer. Spencer is the
junction point for another Wheeling line: the former Akron, Canton & Youngstown, that goes to Cary, OH.
The SETOFF
Nov. / Dec. 2008
Page 9
Photo by Jamie Haislip
“Boomer John” and his MT-14 Ann Arbor X-57, pause in front of the Mt. Pleasant,
MI, station. The car is painted in the same scheme as MOW equipment stationed
here in 60’s. Today the renovated Ann Arbor Rail Road station is a restaurant.
Great Lakes Central RR
By “Boomer John” Schmidt
On a September Sunday in 1965, my
father gave me a manly handshake and my
mother a tearful kiss and left me in Mount
Pleasant, Michigan to become a freshman
at Central Michigan University. That night
as I lay awake in the upper bunk, suddenly
the intense white rays from an osculating
mars light blinded me, and the roar of three
GP-35s filled the room. FT-5 the southbound Ann Arbor Rail Road (AA) mainline freight blasted by my window a
hundred feet away. This was my first introduction to “the Annie” – a railroad with
which I would fall in love.
In days to come, I found the local rail
yard, complete with the wooden station
and matching freight house, gasoline refinery, warehouses, and a grain elevator
with its own mill pond, dam, and power
station. The Annie ran two through
freights a day and a thrice weekly local –
known as the “Mt. Pleasant turn” – on train
orders transmitted via telegraph. During
my college years, I would learn about
Form 19s and Clearance Form A, hooping
up orders on the fly, flying switches and
kicking tank cars in order to spot them inside the refinery without the engine ever
going in, or watching the whole train crew
relaying hand signals from atop moving
boxcars as they spotted a covered hopper
inside the mill. Mt. Pleasant was also the
home to the signal maintainer, Mof W
gang, and the Railway Express Agency.
As time passed, I ventured further afield
along the Annie – north to discover the tur-
Page 10
The SETOFF
reted Union Station in Clare, MI, and south
to the farm town of Shepherd, MI, which
also had a working station. What a thrill it
was to chase trains in those latter days of
real railroading. I left CMU in the early
70s to discover “life”, rarely venturing
back to Mt. Pleasant.
Then on a rainy day in mid-September 2008, as part of the Great Lakes Rail-
cars excursion, I returned to operate my
railcar along the ex-Ann Arbor. We departed Clare, MI going south and passed
Union Station, a tired sentinel still guarding the now defunct diamond (the C&O
mainline – long ago torn up), looking so
forlorn. Pressing south, we rounded the
curve into Mt. Pleasant; the refinery gone
– now an empty field, the yard – now only
a siding with several Milwaukee Road
coaches gathering rust; and then another
curve, a bridge, and the Annie station came
into view – new and fresh. It had been
transfigured into a restaurant/micro brewery. We highballed through town and the
CMU campus just at class change time
(déjà vu - all over again!) and south towards Alma, MI, only to be put “in the
hole” at Shepherd to wait on a local train.
We returned to Mt. Pleasant to luncheon in the station restaurant. I wonder
what those people thought - there I was
standing there in a trance, 43 years later. I
could see in my mind’s eye the telegraph
key and sounder, the controls for the semaphore signal, and the bookcases full of
copies of the Official Guide to the Railways, RR Equipment Register, and tariff
binders. Then, only for a moment, I
thought I heard the four short blasts of FT5 calling for train orders on the fly. Who
says you can’t go home again?
New York Susquehanna & Western
Volunteer Railroaders Assoc.
Ground on left at steps:
Neal Mann, Elyshia
Mann.
Front row: Chris Abbood, Bruce Tracy, Alice
Tacy, Jamie Haislip,
Michael Whipple, Dan
Page, John Dwyer, KC
Smith, Dave Czerwinski,
Stephen Weiss.
On engine: Fred
Marinelli, Betsy Stagg,
RayeAnn Varns, Pien
Sigafoose, Paul Gassner,
Shirley Hartman, Terry
Stagg, Tim Kane, Craig
Hartman, Bob McIllreath, Russ Nelson.
Photo by Robin Whipple
Courtland, 'Y - Sept. 20 / 21, 2008. VRA coordinators KC Smith and Chris Vitz
sponsored a two day run over the NYS&W Syracuse Branch running a total of 160
miles. Saturday’s operation was a roundtrip from Cortland to Syracuse. Sunday’s operation was from Cortland to Chenango Bridge, NY and return.
Nov. / Dec. 2008
2008 Board Of Directors Meeting
Sept. 26 / 27, Chicago, IL
Photo by Wayne Parsons
Front Row: Warren Riccitelli, Joel Williams, Dave Verzi, Tom Falicon, Bobby Moreman, Hal Johnson, Carl Schneider, Warren Froese, Mark Springer, Jim Spicer, Pat Coleman. Second Row: Jim McKeel, Al Elliott, Bernie Leadon, Margaret Hope,
Mugzi Falicon, Wally Schneider, Carl Anderson, Bob Knight, Tom 'orman, Deby Springer. Back Row: Richard Potthast, Pat
Spicer, Dick Wilhelm, David Stroemer, David Otte, Bill Taylor, Greg Kightlinger
Rules Committee
EC Program Changes
The following proposed additions or modifications to the
NARCOA rulebook have been either tentatively approved by the
Board of Directors or have not been approved, as indicated at the
end of each rule. Please review these proposed changes and make
any comments that you might have on any of them to your Area
Director within thirty (30) days of the distribution of this issue of
the newsletter. Following that time period for member comments,
the Board of Directors will take a final vote on these proposed
changes. Thank you for your help in improving our rulebook, in
keeping our hobby safe, and in presenting a professional image to
the railroads that we depend on.
SECTIO' I 7. WHEELS. Worn running surfaces on detachable plate wheels (pressed wheels) are not to be repaired by welding. Wheel running surface thickness on plate wheels shall not
be less than 3/32 inch for light weight cars (M-9’s), 1/8 inch for
light and medium weight cars (M-19’s, M-14’s, MT-14’s, S-2’s,
etc.), and 5/32 inch for heavy gang cars (“A” series cars). Wheels
must be free from not have cracks. Only manufactured wheels are
allowed. Exception: Wheels approved by the NARCOA Board of
Directors. (This change reduces the required minimum thickness
of wheels on light inspection cars to 3/32 inch.)
Approved
SECTIO' I 21 or 22 RAIL SWEEPS. Rail sweeps, if the motorcar is so equipped, must be in the lowered, or working, position
when the motorcar is in motion. The rail sweeps shall be properly
adjusted so that they are within close proximity to the head of the
rail when in the lowered position in order for them to properly
clear items off the top of the rail. (This was proposed last year
and was not approved by the board of directors, but I feel that this
is an important issue that should be addressed due to the increased
risk of derailment to motorcars not using rail sweeps. It has been
modified this year to exempt those cars not originally equipped
with rail sweeps.)
Approved
SECTIO' II 8. SPEED. Motorcars shall be moved slowly over
frogs, switches, around sharp curves, and when running through
Many of you are aware that last year NARCOA undertook a
testing program to recertify all Excursion Coordinators (EC). That
program was developed when we became aware that not all of our
coordinators were fully informed on all of the NARCOA Policies
and Documents. Many of these documents had changed over the
years and a refresher course was in order. So the testing program
was designed partly for education and partly to help us determine
who wanted to remain an EC.
The next stage step was to work through what training a new
EC should have. Do they need to be mentored? How much experience do they need? And who should actually do the training?
There was also discussion about how a member should enter into
this training process.
The program we developed was based on some general concepts. First, that we needed our EC’s to be able to represent NARCOA, and the hobby well to the railroad industry. Poorly planned
and executed rides are a potential problem for all of us. Secondly,
that our EC’s need to know NARCOA Policies. These policies
have been developed over the years to protect the insurance, the
EC, the meet participants, and the host railroad. They also draw
from many members’ years of experience of leading excursions.
Thirdly, that all the book learning doesn’t necessarily prepare you
to be a good EC. A mentoring type process where an experienced
EC can pass on their years of wisdom is also needed. The last part
of the puzzle was the need for every EC to have some sort of ongoing education. This would relate to both NARCOA specific issues and to general railroad issues that could affect NARCOA.
The full policy will be included in the minutes of the board
meeting and should be available for you to read in the next
SETOFF. If you need the full policy and application before then
please contact myself, or Pat Coleman our Operations Committee Chairman.
The process.
EC qualification guidelines recommend that the member be
an insured, mentored operator with two years active operating experience in the hobby. If you meet those criteria, then select a
NARCOA Affiliate for which you would like to organize excur-
By Jim McKeel
Please turn to page 12
The SETOFF
By Mark Springer
Please turn to page 13
Nov. / Dec. 2008
Page 11
interlocking plants. Cars Motorcars shall be moved very slowly
when operating through spring frogs when passing over on a diverging route, self-guarded frogs, and across flange-bearing frogs
in switches and diamonds. Cars should also be moved slowly over
self-guarded frogs. Go slow and use extra caution when approaching people or animals along the right-of-way. Motorcars
shall not, at any time, be operated faster than a speed that is reasonable and prudent due to existing track conditions. Never pass
between a station and a train discharging or receiving passengers.
(See definitions.) (This change adds a new type of frog that is
now being installed at some locations that will be hazardous to
motorcars.)
Approved
SECTIO' II 22. PASSE'GER STATIO'S. Motorcars shall
not pass between a station and a train discharging or receiving
passengers. (This “new” rule is not really new at all. It only
moves this sentence from the “SPEED” rule, where it really doesn’t apply, to its own place in the rulebook.)
Approved
SECTIO' II 16. I'DEPE'DE'T OPERATIO'. The Excursion Coordinator will define the plan for the excursion. Operation
outside of the organized group without the knowledge and permission of the Excursion Coordinator or and the host railroad is
prohibited. All motorcar movements are governed by the Excursion Coordinator and the host railroad. No NARCOA insured excursion shall be held without railroad escort or proper written track
authority. No NARCOA member may operate on any railroad
without railroad escort or proper written track authority. Proper
written track authority or a railroad employee escort is required for
all NARCOA insured excursions. NARCOA members will not
operate motorcars or hy-rails on any railroad without proper written track authority or a railroad employee escort. (This change
improves the sentence structure in the last two sentences.)
Approved
SECTIO' III 1. COOPERATIO'. All excursion participants
will follow the instructions of the Excursion Coordinator. Failure
to do so could cause disruption to other traffic on the railroad or
cause delays to the motorcar excursion, either of which could result in the railroad no longer allowing motorcar excursions.
(This addition specifically states that motorcar operators must follow the instructions of the Excursion Coordinator.)
Approved
SECTIO' II 20. OPERATOR CERTIFICATIO'/I'SURA'CE. All persons operating a motorcar or hy-rail vehicle on any
NARCOA insured excursion must have successfully completed
the NARCOA rulebook examination, obtained a NARCOA Certificate of Examination, have current NARCOA liability insurance
coverage through the NARCOA insurance program, and (if they
joined NARCOA after June 1, 2005) have been or are in the
process of being mentored in accordance with the NARCOA operator mentoring program. All persons operating a motorcar or
hy-rail vehicle on any NARCOA insured excursion must have a
current Certificate of Examination card and a current NARCOA
insurance card in his/her possession. (Exception: persons designated by the railroad on which the excursion is being run who are
in the performance of their duties as railroad liaison/escort.)
Motorcar and hy-rail owners/operators shall not allow any person
that does not meet the above qualifications to operate a motorcar
or hy-rail at a NARCOA insured excursion. (This added sentence
Page 12
The SETOFF
makes it a violation for someone to allow a person that is not properly certified to operate a motorcar or hy-rail at a NARCOA insured excursion.)
Approved
SECTIO' III 5. GRADE CROSSI'G FLAGGERS. Flaggers
should always face the highway traffic and watch for vehicles that
may not stop. Hold flag up and away from body. Don’t make
motions to motorcars that highway traffic could misunderstand
misinterpret as intended for them. Flaggers must only signal highway traffic to stop. Flaggers must never signal highway traffic to
go proceed (to do so assumes liability) and should instead simply
walk away from the roadway. Highway traffic and pedestrians
have the right of way over our motorcars at all grade crossings.
Flagging of grade crossings during periods of poor visibility,
storms, or hours of darkness must be done with fusees, flashlights,
or lanterns. Reflectorized flags could also be used. Reflective
safety vests should be worn by all flaggers anytime they are attempting to flag traffic on a roadway.
(These additions clarify some issues, give additional guidance,
and encourage the use of reflective safety vests for flaggers.)
Approved
SECTIO' III EXCURSIO' CO'CER'S. Excursion participants will not complain to railroad officials or railroad employees about the manner in which excursions are being or have been
conducted or about anything related to their railroad. NARCOA
members are responsible for the conduct of their guests. All excursion related complaints will be directed to the Excursion Coordinator. If the member does not feel that his complaint has been
remedied or reasonably explained, or if the complaint is about the
Excursion Coordinator or the way the excursion was conducted,
the member will then direct their complaint to their Area Director.
(This rule allows NARCOA to address issues where members
might make complaints to railroad officials/employees that could
cause that railroad to deny future excursion requests and gives direction to the manner in which complaints should be handled.)
Approved
Photo by Dave Verzi
Mike Ford, EC (second from right), and Ray Robinson, VP &
Chief Engineer (third from right) of the Great Lakes Central
RR, hold a safety meeting at Clare, MI, on Sept. 12, 2008.
SECTIO' IV 11. SAFETY MEETI'G. A safety meeting will
be conducted prior to departure each day of every excursion. The
safety meeting will serve as an opportunity for the Excursion Coordinator to remind operators of important safety items, to inform
operators of unusual circumstances that might be encountered on
the excursion, to inform operators of the schedule for the day, and
to pass along any other information from the Excursion Coordinator or from railroad officials. It is mandatory that all excursion
Nov. / Dec. 2008
participants attend and be attentive.
(This new rule makes it mandatory that an EC hold a safety meeting before departure on each day of every excursion and that all
operators attend and be attentive.)
Approved
SECTIO' IV 4. OPERATOR CERTIFICATIO' / I'SURA'CE. OPERATOR QUALIFICATIO' VERIFICATIO'.
Excursion Coordinators, or their designee, must verify before the
excursion departs the point of origin that all operators have a current NARCOA approved certificate of examination, have valid
NARCOA insurance, and (if they joined NARCOA after June 1,
2005) have been properly mentored in accordance with the NARCOA operator mentoring program. (This rule was passed last
year, but apparently did not make it into the updated rulebook.
The title change will more clearly identify the purpose of the rule.)
Approved
SECTIO' V 3. WHISTLE/HOR' SIG'ALS. Two long whistles blasts of a whistle or horn is the standard railroad indication
to proceed forward. Three long short whistles blasts of a whistle
or horn is the standard railroad indication to back up from a
stopped position. The Excursion Coordinator may designate a
specific whistle/horn signal at the Safety Meeting that will be used
as a warning for everyone to return to their cars and prepare for departure. Whistle/horn signals are to be originated by the Excursion Coordinator or their designee. (These changes clarify some
portions of the wording and correct the whistle/horn signal for
backing up.)
Approved
SECTIO' V 7. FLA'GE-BEARI'G FROGS. These frogs
may appear either in switches or in diamonds. The flange-bearing frog in a switch will have a rise in the rail head on one rail on
the diverging route and present a special hazard to motorcars due
to this rise and the fact that they may have a wider than usual gap
for the running rail on the mainline route. The flange-bearing frog
in a diamond will have a rise in the rail head on both rails on the
less prevalent route and present a special hazard to motorcars due
to this rise and the fact that they may have a wider than usual gap
in both of the running rails on the route with the flange-bearing
frogs. The purpose of these frogs is to eliminate the flangeway
gap in the running rails of the primary route which reduces wear
on equipment on the primary route. Motorcars must be moved
very slowly over a flange-bearing frog in order to reduce the likelihood of a derailment. It is recommended that motorcars be
walked over these frogs to ensure safe passage.
(This addition describes a new type of frog that is now being installed in various locations on several railroads.)
Approved
SECTIO' V 8. I'TERLOCKI'G PLA'T An interlocking
is an arrangement of signals and signal appliances so interconnected that their movements must succeed each other in proper
sequence. An interlocking is an arrangement of signal apparatus
that prevents conflicting movements through an arrangement of
tracks such as junctions, crossings, and switches. The signaling
appliances and tracks between the opposing signals at an interlocking are sometimes collectively referred to as an interlocking
plant. An interlocking is designed so that it is impossible to give
clear signals to trains unless the route to be used is proved to be
safe. (This addition provides a description of an Interlocking
Plant.)
Approved
EC Program Changes
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 11
sions and contact the appropriate affiliate officer. Identify, for that
person, the railroads on which you would like to coordinate runs,
and state why you feel qualified to do so. List your railroad related experience. If your affiliate supports your request, the affiliate officer will recommend a mentor and forward your request to
the NARCOA Area Director. The Area Director has the right to
affirm or deny your application. If affirmed, he/she will send your
application to the NARCOA Operations Committee.
The Operations Committee will then send you a rule book,
policy manual, and operations manual for you to study. You will
also receive an EC test. You are required to successfully complete
the EC test before entering the mentoring phase of the EC certification. The Operations Committee will then advise you of your
score and assist you if additional testing is needed.
At that time you will be considered an “EC in Training.” You
will work with an experienced EC, designated by your affiliate,
over the course of the next 12 months. You and your mentor will
organize a variety of excursions. Your mentor will then evaluate
your success in completing the tasks associated with being an effective EC and will advise the affiliate officer, Area Director and
Operations Committee when you have mastered the appropriate
skills. You will then be designated a Certified Excursion Coordinator.
The last part is the ongoing education portion. Tom Falicon
has volunteered to sift through FRA communications, internal
NARCOA information and information from members to provide
ongoing education to our EC’s. While this will not be a test, you
will be required to read and understand the information presented
to you. Tom is requesting that all current EC’s with email address’s contact him to have their address’s added to his communication list. If you do not have email your communications will
be by regular mail.
Additional
Radio Channels
By John Reynolds
NARCOA has had a radio license issued by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) that authorizes VHF radio mobile-to-mobile communication on 151.625 MHz while conducting
activities associated with excursions, either car-to-car communication while on an excursion, or pre-excursion activities such as
car inspection and set-on. To eliminate potential interference and
provide additional communications capability, two additional frequencies were added to the NARCOA license this year. In addition, an administrative oversight was corrected such that
NARCOA radio transmission is now authorized nationwide, including Alaska and Hawaii. Authorized frequencies are as follows:
NARCOA Channel 1 - 151.625 MHz
NARCOA Channel 2 - 151.505 MHZ
NARCOA Channel 3 - 158.400 MHz
The NARCOA call sign is WPHT 745. A copy of the license
is posted on the NARCOA website. It is recommended that members having radios capable of transmitting installed in their motorcars or hy-rail vehicles print out a copy and carry it with them
as authorization for their VHF radio.
The SETOFF
Nov. / Dec. 2008
Page 13
Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad’s Tanglefoot Curve at MP 330.
Photo by Deby Springer
2008 Narrow Gauge Tour
Patrick “Smitty” Smith put on his annual Narrow Gauge Tour again this year,
starting on the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic
Railroad from Aug. 18 to 20 , and finishing
on the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge
Railroad from Aug. 21 to 24 .
Chama, 'M - August 18, 2008. The
weather the days before set-on was dramatic. The blue skies in one direction and
huge black clouds in another resulted in
rain and hail. The 18th dawned nice and
clear, and although rain threatened several
of the run days, and we got a sprinkle or
two, for the most part we had great weather
the whole week on both railroads.
Set-on at Chama began at noon. After
inspections and paperwork, the group ran
that afternoon up to the Cumbres summit,
at 10,015 feet elevation, and back, departing from 7,880 foot Chama after the train
arrived from Osier about 4 pm. This was
the test run for the motorcars, and one
group of three arrived at the top coupled
together. My car ran fine, but when we got
back to Chama I decided to “improve” the
carburetor setting, as it had died at a few
inopportune times - the result was the next
early morning departure it ran fine in the
yard, but seemed fuel starved going up the
4% grade, requiring going all the way in
first gear. Ugh. Sorry guys. When we all
stopped at the summit, I put the main jet
back where it had been (1 3/4 turns instead
of 1 1/2). All was well again, and I was
happy to be able to report same to Smitty,
Page 14
The SETOFF
By Bernie Leadon
who inquired after the health of my car.
“Hate to have to set you off…..”
From the summit, the group traversed
Tanglefoot Curve (a beautiful horseshoe
loop), and Cascade Trestle to Osier, at MP
318.4, where the RR has a large mess hall.
The trains from each direction meet here
at Osier for lunch, and passengers can either continue on, or return to where they
started the day.
As you continue on to Antonito,
which lies at 7890 feet, the terrain becomes
dryer, and gradually, as you lose elevation,
changes from pine forest to high desert,
with mostly sagebrush vegetation. This
desert setting allows long sight lines as the
track follows the rolling terrain down to
Antonito, giving nice glimpses of the line
of motorcars above or below you on the
serpentine right of way. This sort of ability to see the whole group of cars at times
zipping across the scene in several directions at once is one of my favorite motorcar panoramas.
After spending the night in Antonito,
MP 280.7, we made the return trip the next
day, reversing the entire procedure, including lunch at Osier. It is a lot of fun to
have the double train meets there, with
beautiful long vistas in all directions, with
no sign of human habitation except the
railroad.
Photo by Bernie Leadon
From Cumbres at 10,015 feet, the line descends a 4% grade into Chama, 'M.
Nov. / Dec. 2008
Photos by Bernie Leadon
Above: Durango & Silverton 480 departs Silverton, CO. Below: Escort Johnny Martinez fixes the brakes on #334.
Silverton, CO - August 21, 2008. the right of way is glued to a rock ledge
Our railroad escort was Johnny MarAfter driving the four hours up to 9,318 with 150 foot drops straight down to the tinez, who started with the railroad 45
foot Silverton, we set the motorcars on river. It is one of the most dramatic pieces years ago. Johnny is retired now most of
after the trains departed in the afternoon. of track I have been over, exceeded only the year, but the railroad brings him back
Our days on the Durango & Silverton RR by the White Pass & Yukon in Alaska.
during Railfest for special duty, like escoincided with their annual Railfest celeWe wyed the cars at Rockwood, corting us. Smitty presented Johnny with
bration, and special trains ran again this which has a “stub” switch at the top of the a plaque with a photo of him and his moyear, including 1880’s Engine 315, which wye, which instead of moving switch torcar several decades ago, which he loved.
was completely rebuilt in the last few years points, moves part of the two sets of rails Thanks for taking good care of us, Johnny!
after sitting in a Durango park for several which go to the two parts of the wye. It
During the run on Saturday, we left
decades, and the Galloping Goose Number was fun to see this rare early switch design. Silverton after two trains, including the
5, which is a historical rail bus. The front
We then waited while three trains Presidential Special, and then passed them
looks like a school bus, which is towing a went past us up the hill, and then left be- both on one siding - we were their enterbread box, all painted shiny silver.
hind them, and in front of the RGS Goose tainment! Turnabout is fair play. Then we
The safety meeting time the next #5 from Dolores, CO. Each train is fol- played leapfrog and pulled into the Casmorning was 5:45am, with departure im- lowed by a railroad motorcar, as a fire pa- cade Wye a little farther down, and waited
mediately afterward. The skies were pitch trol. We went slowly up to Silverton, often for them to pass us. Beautiful. Then we
black when all gathered, and I appreciated with a train in view up ahead.
backed down over a mile to Tall Timber for
a friend scraping frost off my motorcar
The next day, Saturday the 23rd we our dinner.
windows. Silverton has only about 14 didn’t start until 3pm, which was great, as
These narrow gauge railroads are
frost free days per year, and this wasn’t one it gave us some time to rest up, although some of the finest motorcar running anyof them, although it wasn’t as cold as some we didn’t arrive back in Silverton until where, and I hope all get a chance someday
other years!
after dark, and those that ran on Sunday the to run on them. Thanks again, Smitty.
We started down the Animas River 24th had an early start again.
canyon at first light, which is really beauThe afternoon run down the river was
tiful. The sides of the canyon close in stunning, and Smitty had scheduled a dinquickly, and the river is all rapids and fast ner for us at Tall Timber, a resort in the
water all the way down to Rockwood, canyon which is only reachable by rail and
where we would wye the cars, and wait to helicopter. The resort has several motorfollow several trains back up the river to cars which they use sometimes to bring
Silverton. Some had completely open mo- people in. They have transitioned from a
torcars, but I was happy to have curtains resort where people would stay for a week
and a heater, at least that morning. The in high style, to one focused on zipline
vistas upward are really stunning, which is soaring (www.soaringcolorado.com). Our
why many narrow gauge cars have no roof, dinner was served buffet style in a
or in a couple cases, have removable fab- meadow, and seating was in a 45 person
ric roof panels.
metal tree house platform. It had no railThe last bit of track before arriving at ings, and the floor was see-through, so it
Rockwood is called the “High Line”, and was dramatic 20 feet up in the trees.
[w>n]
The SETOFF
Nov. / Dec. 2008
Page 15
Inspecting The Cumbres & Toltec
By Leon Sapp
Photos by Leon Sapp
FRA inspectors walking the Chama River Bridge at MP 343.6 and checking the Chama Yard switches June 1, 2005.
In March of 2005 I announced my detail? I left my Regional Administrator the day. For the next 8 hours we made a
plans to retire at the end of the year ending to enjoy the caboose in the company of the thorough inspection of every switch, tunnel, major bridge, and siding. We made a
a 46 year career on the rails. The last 23 railroad officials.
walking inspection of the extensive work
I
remained
behind
in
the
quiet
solitude
years had been with the Federal Railroad
that had been done to stabilize the shoulof
the
well
preserved
station.
After
about
Administration (FRA) and I was leaving
ders between Sublette and Toltec, and
half
an
hour
I
heard
the
unmistakable
the position of Deputy Regional Adminismeasurements were taken at ‘hanging
sound
of
the
speeder
engines
approaching.
trator in Fort Worth, Texas. My Regional
rock’ to check for any further movement.
I
boarded
the
lead
motorcar
for
the
rest
of
Administrator told me to start planning
some last inspection trips I might want to
take and one of the lines I picked was the
Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad.
I arranged our annual track inspection
of the line for the 1st of June and accompanied by my Regional Administrator, my
Track Specialist, and a Bridge and Track
Inspector we arrived on the property the
last day of May. On the morning of June
1st, the railroad staff drove us over to Antonito to depart right behind the single
scheduled train of the day. They had put
the caboose on the train thinking that most
of us would want to ride the line in comfort. They did not know me very well.
While my track personnel boarded three of
the railroad’s motorcars that were to accompany us, I boarded Engine 484 for a
ride out to the first water stop at Sublette.
At Sublette the temptation was simply
too great not to get off and wait for the rest
of our party who were going to get down
and personal with the railroad. There
would be other steam engines to ride, but
how often was I going to get the opportunity to ride with the track gangs and inFRA inspectors at the Cresco water tank and trestle MP 335.5.
spect the tunnels, bridges and structures in
Page 16
The SETOFF
Nov. / Dec. 2008
The railroad engineer who had designed
the ‘fix’ for the encroaching walls of ‘Mud
Tunnel’ had accompanied us, and we spent
nearly an hour inspecting the concrete
bracing he had designed and constructed.
We arrived at Osier well after the train
had departed, and just as the lunch crew
was packing up for the day. But, gratefully
they had left enough for us to enjoy, and in
the true spirit of working railroad men
everywhere, we each devoured two of the
box lunches. We took a quick look at the
high iron trestle at Cascade and several
wooden trestles approaching Cumbres.
We had to clean snow out of one of the siding switches at Cumbres in order to inspect
it. Windy Point lived up to its name, and
while inspecting the shoulder stabilization
one of our group lost his ball cap to the
stiff breeze. Another stop and inspection
of the high bridge at Lobato and the bridge
and water tank at Cresco, and we scratched
into Chama just ahead of a beautiful sunset. It was the ride of a lifetime and one I
will not quickly forget.
I have always believed the maintenance crew on the C&TS is one of the best
around, professional in every respect and
with that added love of their railroad that
seems so lacking in the real world down
below. While I cannot discuss the actual
results of our inspection or any defects we
might have found, I will say that on the average we found far, far less to complain
about on the C&TS than nearly every main
line railroad I can name. It is a well maintained and exceptionally well operated railroad in every respect.
Clockwisefrom above: The new caboose and interior for private groups. The west portal of Mud Tunnel at MP 311.3 showing
erosion prevention measures. Leon Sapp in the fireman’s seat. Chama River bridge detail. FRA inspectors walking Lobato
Trestle at MP 339.7. This plate girder bridge, 100 feet high and 310 feet long, was built by Keystone Bridge Co. in 1881.
The SETOFF
Nov. / Dec. 2008
Page 17
Photos by Wally Schneider
Left: LeRay Swedeen, from Henry, SD, operates his S-2 with Marsha and Jerry Swedeen from Cambridge, M', riding
along. Right: Carl and Wally Schneider’s M-9 at Hinkley, M', where the St. Croix Valley RR interchanges with B'SF.
St. Croix Valley Railroad
Wisconsin Great Northern Railroad
First byIowa
Division
Carl Schneider
'orth Branch, M' – October 4,
2008. The First Iowa Division ventured
north for two excursions in the Minneapolis area. When we left the motel Saturday
morning for set-on at the St. Croix Valley
Railroad, there was a nice heavy coat of
frost on the windshields of our tow vehicles and motorcars. It gets cold way up
north this time of the year! Our trip today
is north over the Amber Subdivision 37
miles to Hinkley, MN, site of the interchange with BNSF. Our railroad escort
Tavis Anderson, riding in a hy-rail, led our
group of 17 motorcars, three of them open
cars. I don't know why, but the people riding on those open cars seemed to be
dressed for the arctic!
After passing through Rush City and
Pine City, we turned our cars a mile out of
Hinkley, and backed into town. The southbound trip returning to North Branch for a
lunch break went well, and then we turned
the cars for a second round trip to Hinkley.
While many of us had made it to Hinkley,
it seemed to be taking quite some time for
the rest of our motorcar parade to arrive.
Several of our members had been delayed
by a motorcycle accident on the highway
parallel to the tracks. They came on the
Page 18
The SETOFF
accident where the motorcycle had rearended a car. Both riders were lying out on
the highway. Frosty Farrell, Larry Webster, Dick and Dixie Schark, and Dave
Pratt rushed to the scene with red flags to
stop traffic, and render assistance until help
arrived. By the time the motorcars were
all back together, it was starting to cool off
and the sun was beginning to head towards
the horizon. We returned to North Branch
completing another safe and successful
trip, and one we will no doubt repeat in
years to come. After loading our cars,
many of us repositioned 75 miles east into
Wisconsin for Sunday's ride.
Spooner, WI – October 5, 2008. Seton at the Wisconsin Great Northern Railroad came very early. Finding the set-on
location, north of the old depot, in the dark
was rather tricky for those of us who had
never been to Spooner. This is an exChicago &North Western line that is now
used just for excursion trains. Lynton
Brooks, one of our members, was the dinner train engineer that day. He was waiting
for us at the crossing used for set-on, and
he drove ahead of our 11 car group to flag
crossings during our approximately 15
mile run northeast to Spring Brook.
Nov. / Dec. 2008
The tracks are in very good shape for
a small excursion railroad with some
welded rail in certain locations. It was perfect for motor cars! Our original plan was
to run 29 miles Hayward. However, small
pine trees growing between the rails became a problem. We didn't want to damage the nice paint jobs on many of the
speeders. Therefore, we turned our cars at
Spring Brook, and headed back to Spooner
where we were clear of the tracks before
noon so Lynton could take the dinner train
north. In the future, we hope to ride the
line again, and make it all the way to Hayward.
Deadline for the
Jan. / Feb. 2009
SETOFF
Thank you to everyone who contributed
articles and photos to this edition. Please
check the writer and photo credit contributor names, and say something the
next time you see them! The next edition of The SETOFF is due out the Editor’s door to the printer on December 15,
2008. All materials are due in advance
of that date.
Speeder Roundhouse
By Phil Gray
M 19
Alternator
Belt
By Stanley Wilson
Photo by Phil Gray
The turntable is dual gauge, and the left stall is for a narrow gauge car. 'ext out
onto the turntable is Phil’s 1951 Duluth Missabe & Iron Range Railroad M9.
Harrison, AR. - It all started when I
decided to build a speeder shed. I wanted
something with four stalls, but that seemed
a little big. I was telling my son what I was
thinking of building, and he said, "Why
don't you build a roundhouse and
turntable?" WHAT! Can you imagine
how hard that would be to build? Where
would I find plans? How would I …?
well, I'll think about it.
Sitting down with pencil and paper,
and after three or four tries, I had a plan!
That was in February. By May I had the
concrete done, and was testing the
turntable. In mid June carpenters built the
walls and roof. I have added the cedar siding and doors, and am almost done with
the whole thing.
I call it Cherry Tree Station Roundhouse, because of the tree next to the
turntable. I back my trailer up to the
turntable, and use ramps to load or unload
the motorcars directly onto the turntable.
We don't have any local zoning ordinance that would effect me building what
I wanted. The houses around me are all
my renters, so there are no problems with
neighbors. However, they think the
speeder roundhouse is pretty neat too! So
far I haven’t found anything I’d have done
differently, but time will tell. We are in the
ice business here, so we don't get to go on
the good rides in the summer. This project gives me something to do with the
hobby when I can't ride, and a place to chill
out in the evenings after work.
SPEEDER
SHED
Lummi Island, WA - Dale
and Wayne Chaudiere keep
their father Herb’s restored
1930's Sheffield handcar in
this shed. In 2001 all the
cast iron parts were sand
blasted and painted. The
frame was replaced with
oak, and the deck with
pine. The car is displayed
with typical tools used by
section gangs.
Photo by Wayne Chaudiere
The SETOFF
Photos by Stanley Wilson
For those of you that don't have a pop
car - putting on a new alternator belt is an
all day job, because the flywheel must be
removed from the engine. You take a
measurement, go to your local parts house,
and get 2 or 3 belts and hope one will fit.
Then you take the engine out of the car,
pull the flywheel, and if everything goes
well, you can put the engine back into the
car the same day.
I decided on a different procedure
using the Power Twist Plus V-Belt. Made
up of links, the Power Twist belt is easily
customized to any size by adding or subtracting sections. Each link is constructed
of a composite material that, the manufacturer claims, will outlast conventional
belts. The Power Twist Plus V-Belt has an
operating temperature range of -40F to
+240F, and is resistant to oil, grease, and
water. The package says you can do everything by hand, but some people may find a
pair of pliers helpful when pulling the tabs
through the links. There are small arrows
printed on the links to show the “forward”
direction of rotation.
Using the Power Twist Plus V-Belt I
completely skipped the job of pulling the
engine out. Putting in the new belt only
took about 45 minutes!
Nov. / Dec. 2008
Page 19
Photos by John Witt
Above: 'ew MT-14 bearing/spring assembly unit with bearing from old casing
cleaned and inserted. Above right: 'ew assembly installed under the car with
springs in place. Right: Rear axle center bearing housing allows up and down
movement of the axle. This suspension raises the car by about two inches.
MT-14 Spring Suspension
Australian Design Installation Report
Desiring a softer ride in my Canadian
MT-14, I decided to install a spring suspension based on the Fairmont design
found in Australian motorcars. I purchased
the spring kit from Dean Mark at Fredericksburg Shops. The kit is manufactured
by Allan Wilbur in Hartville, OH, and is
quite nicely done. It consists of four wheel
bearing/spring assemblies and a fifth bearing housing that replaces the center bearing
on the rear axle.
The four wheel bearing assemblies are
each made up of three nicely machined
aluminum castings. The inner casting is
the bearing housing with a four-bolt cover
that retains the bearing. The outer casting
contains the springs and two hefty guide
tubes on which the inner housing slides up
and down. The inner casting has pressedin Oilite® bushings which slide on the
guide tubes. All wear points have grease
fittings installed. In addition, there is a
steel bar that bolts across the bottom of the
outer housing to absorb loads from the
guide tubes.
I found the parts fit to be very good in
particular the bores where the wheel bearings are installed fit the bearing races perfectly. The only clean-up done to the
castings was to file off a minor bit of casting flash where the springs sit on the bearing housing. These make up into very
Page 20
The SETOFF
By John Witt
impressive and robust looking units. I did
degrease the springs and dip-coated them
with RustOleum primer.
I had a great deal of trepidation about
getting the bearings out of the old housings, but in fact it turned out that warming
them up with a propane torch allowed the
bearings to fall out. This was the grubbiest part of the job. Those bearings had evidently gotten plenty of grease! The
process was reversed to install the races in
the new housings. Be careful not to overheat the housings, as that will cause the oil
to migrate out of the Oilite® bushings. It
isn't necessary to heat housings to a high
temperature due to the very nice machined
finish and precise fit of the bearing bores.
Included in the kit is a steel bar that
has holes to guide the drilling of the
speeder frame. The bar is bolted in place
on the frame bottom using two of the previous bearing shell mounting holes. New
holes are drilled using the bar as a guide.
This worked well with one exception. The
center hole couldn't be used because my
axle bearing spacing was slightly narrower
than the guide bar was set up for, so when
the whole assembly --two spring assemblies and axle--was installed those holes
didn't line up. I just left these two unused,
since the center bolt seemed superfluous to
me, given the number of bolts holding the
Nov. / Dec. 2008
housing to the speeder frame.
You do have to buy the required
mounting hardware, since it is not included
in the kit. This amounted to about $10
worth of screws and nuts. I used all nylon
self-locking nuts. I personally think lock
washers are inventions of the devil, you
rarely find them on aircraft, and replace
them whenever I have an assembly on my
speeder apart. You will also need a 111/16 inch socket and a sturdy breaker bar
to get the axle nuts loose, as well as a
puller to get the hubs off the axles.
The last issue with the installation was
the chain, which was now about three links
too short, because of the new position of
the rear axle. I ordered a foot of #40-2
chain and some extra master links from
McMaster Carr for about $18 including the
shipping.
Most of the actual work in this installation was removing and cleaning up the
original parts. The whole thing has gone
pretty smoothly, and I'm looking forward
to a cushy ride like all the M-19s. Feel free
to e-mail me directly if you have questions
about this modification at [email protected] . Thanks also to Kevin Novak
for the many pictures of his installation in
his MT-14, which allowed me to proceed
with confidence.
Motorcar Derailment
In the September 1998 issue of The
SETOFF a photograph was published
showing a fatal motorcar derailment that
happened on the Southern Railway in
Chesterfield County Virginia. Rocks had
been placed on both rails at a location behind Huguenot High School.
The derailment pictured at right was
not fatal. However, it was caused by similar vandalism. My old MKT Roadmaster
and friend, James Hollimon, sent me this
shot taken at Mangum, Oklahoma in May
of 1970. The line is the old Northwestern
District where I worked as Trainmaster
during the wheat harvests each year. The
track was really poor, 10 mph for 407
miles from Wichita Falls, TX to Keyes,
OK. The Foreman, with his crew of three,
was running faster than he should have
been. They hit stacked rocks, tie plates,
and spikes put in the points of the siding
switch by vandals. Nobody was hurt. The
car and flat stayed on the ground for a short
distance before digging in and turning
By Leon Sapp
sideways giving the guys a chance to grab
onto something. Nobody was thrown off,
but that had to be one abrupt stop.
The lesson here is look carefully at
switch points not only for proper alignment, but also for debris of any kind.
Riding With Joe
Joe Speeder was really enjoying the
beautiful spring weather, with sunshine
and cool temperatures, as he rolled along
comfortably. This rail line, that he had not
previously ridden, seemed to be in fairly
good condition, although it was not used
very often by the railroad company. This
was grain country, where many lines are
only used during the harvest. The excursion group came to a switch taking the
speeders onto a connection track that
curved to the right around a 90 degree
curve to another line. The rail went from
85 lb rail to 70 lb rail on the fairly tight
curve.
Joe slowed down through the switch,
and then gave her some throttle as he
headed into the curve to catch up with the
car ahead. The next thing Joe knew, he
was in the ditch on the outside of the curve.
His speeder had spun counterclockwise as
it derailed and headed for the ditch. His
passenger ended up tossed against the
windshield. Joe shook his head, checked
to see if he was injured or not, checked on
his passenger, and then slumped back in
his seat wondering what had just happened. As other participants came running
By Jim McKeel
to check on Joe and his passenger, he got
out of his speeder and started looking
around to figure out how this could have
happened.
What Joe apparently hadn’t noticed
was the kink in the outside rail at the joint
between two of the sections of 70 lb rail.
That kink, not uncommon on lightly used
lines with smaller rail, coupled with the additional force of his left front wheel against
the outside rail due to his acceleration
while transitioning the curve, had com-
At a non-'ARCOA event, this 8 mph
derailment was on a curve at a weld.
The SETOFF
bined to ruin his day. Fortunately, Joe’s
passenger ended up with only a couple of
bruises, and the speeder wasn’t damaged.
Joe ended up with a red face as the other
excursion participants took in the scene.
As soon as the Excursion Coordinator finished his investigation of the incident, the
speeder was re-railed and the excursion
continued. The rest of the trip was exceptional. However, one thing for sure: Joe
took it easy on those tight curves for the
rest of the day. What NARCOA rule did
Joe Speeder violate?
Joe violated two important parts of
rule #8 (SPEED) in Section II of the NARCOA Book of Rules, specifically those
pertaining to going slowly around sharp
curves, and operating at a speed that is reasonable and prudent due to existing track
conditions. Joe should not have accelerated while going around that tight curve on
the connection track. He should also have
been paying more attention than usual to
the rail, especially the light rail on a tight
curve on a lightly used line. It is imperative to watch the rail at all times on an excursion, but it is doubly important to do so
in the instance described in this scenario.
Nov. / Dec. 2008
Page 21
Operations- 2009 Insurance Renewal
the enjoyment
of operating
on the rails
By
Pat Coleman
We all regret the passing of Hank
Brown several months ago. Hank functioned in many positions in NARCOA, he
arranged for the hotel for Annual Meeting,
was Sergeant at Arms for the meeting, and
was Operations Chairman. He handled
each role with a larger than life presence. I
have taken over his Chairmanship of the
Operations Committee, assisted by committee members Carl Anderson, Steve
Rinker, John Gonder, Steve Taulbee and
Tom Falicon.
Until the Annual Meeting last week, I
took a wait and see attitude on direction
and action of this committee, and its members probably wondered what they were
going to do. One of my goals is to work
with Tom Norman – Policy Manual, and
Jim McKeel – Rule Book, to bring these
documents and the Operations Manual into
alignment with each other. You may have
noticed the wording in these documents is
not allways in agreement.
If you are new to hobby or just have
not taken time to read the Policy Manual
and Operations Manual, I suggest you do
so for the information is relevant to the excursions we enjoy so much.
Tom Falicon is taking over the duties
of continuing education of the EC’s. Tom
works on an operating railroad and receives the continuing training and notification of changes in railroad operating
procedures and conditions. We do not intend to make you professional railroaders,
but we do intend to help you better understand the issues and realities of our hobby,
so we may continue to look like professional hobbyists to our host railroads.
The Operations committee will be involved in certification of new Excursion
Coordinators, as well as overseeing operational issues.
Are you aware that page 10 of the
Operations Manual has a check list for
operators of what they should consider
bring to a run?
Operate safely,
C. Patrick (Pat) Coleman
Operations Chair
Page 22
The SETOFF
by Tom Norman, Insurance Administrator
Participation in NARCOA’s Railroad
Liability Insurance Program is required in
order for a member to operate at a NARCOA insured excursion. For 2009, the liability policy year is 2/1/09 to 2/1/10.
Insurance applications for 2009 liability
coverage will be inserted in this issue of
The Setoff. I’m happy to report the premium will drop to $115. Please return applications early, so you will have your new
insurance card by 2/1/09. Remember
2008 liability coverage will expire 1/31/09.
NARCOA Certificate of Examination
Cards will expire on 1/31/09. These cards
are numbered 4000 to 5999. All members
will need to take the new rule book test before applying for insurance. New NARCOA Certificate of Examination Cards
will be numbered 6000 and higher. A rule
book test will be inserted in this issue of
The Setoff. Take the test and send the
completed test along with a stamped self
addressed business size envelope to:
Al McCracken, 2916 Taper Ave., Santa
Clara, CA 95951.
If you successfully answer 20 of the
25 questions, Al will mail you your new
NARCOA Certificate of Examination
Card.
Many NARCOA members participate
in our second insurance program and buy
insurance to provide physical damage coverage for their motorcars. The policy year
is 3/31/09 through 3/31/10. This program
is entirely optional, and it is up to the
member to determine if it is appropriate for
them. Since the current policy is good
through 3/31/09, applications are not yet
available. If interested, look for a future
article in a later issue of The Setoff.
I would also like to welcome aboard
Mike Ford to our team of Area Insurance
Representatives. Mike will be replacing
Hank Brown. Thanks Mike! Current
NARCOA Area Insurance Representatives
are listed on the insurance application
forms.
Letter From Carol Brown
To our NARCOA friends,
I would like to thank everyone for their phone calls, e-mails, and cards expressing
their sympathy and love for Hank. I think you all know how very important the motorcar hobby and NARCOA were to Hank, and how fond he was of all of you.
After Hank died it was sad to think that after almost 20 years of riding the rails beside him I might never attend another railcar excursion or see any of our motorcar friends
again. So I jumped at the chance to attend the NARCOA board meeting in September
so I could spend time with some of those friends.
I knew there would be some sad moments without Hank, but thanks to the warmth
with which I was welcomed, my time in Chicago was very happy. It was a wonderful surprise to receive the Pioneer Award presented to Hank & Carol Brown and Wilderness
Tours. This plaque represents closure to some of the happiest and most rewarding years
of our 47 years together. Hank would have been so very proud to receive it.
Thank you to everyone at the board meeting
for your warm welcome, to NARCOA for the
wonderful Pioneer Award, to the ladies with
whom I spent two fun days exploring Chicago,
and a special thanks to those who invited me to
ride the rails with them in the future. Just knowing I have that option gives me comfort.
To all of Hank’s and my NARCOA friends
across the country, I hope you know how much
you have all meant to Hank and to me. Over the
years you became more like family than friends.
If you are ever in the Madison area, please give
me a call or stop by for a visit. I do hope to see
you on the rails again some day. Until then,
thanks for all the wonderful memories.
Fondly,
Carol
Nov. / Dec. 2008
NARCOA Excursions
as of October 14, 2008
Please submit all excursions and ads directly to
[email protected]
The SETOFF downloads directly from the website
for the most current information.
'ovember 1 - 2, 2008 - GA Chattooga & Chickamauga RR Saturday:
Central of Georgia Line, A portion of your trip will be through a part of
the Chickamauga National Battlefield - Approximately 90 miles RT. Sunday: The TAG Line. Kensington to Chattanooga and return - Approximately 42 miles RT. You must be a member of NARCOA, have
NARCOA Insurance, and have passed the Rules Test. NARCOA approved Hi-Rail Vehicles OK. All operators and passengers must wear a
Safety Vest or Safety Shirt while on railroad property. A mobile VHF
radio is strongly encouraged. The cost for both days is $150.00. There is
a limit of 35 motorcars for this fall color adventure on rails. Please make
your check payable to: Atlanta Railcar Transportation LLC c/o Bobby
Moreman - EC, 3520 Cold Springs Lane, Chamblee, Georgia 30341. No
refunds after Oct. 1, 2008. [email protected] More info at
http://salembranch.nfshost.com/motorcar/
dinners are $20.00 per person in advance. Total mileage approximately
146 miles. This event is sponsored by NERCA. NARCOA insurance and
all NARCOA rules apply. Safety vests required on all participants. HyRails by prior permission only. Excursion Coordinators: Warren Riccitelli / Al Elliott Contact: Warren Riccitelli, 39 Jacksonia Dr
'ovember 16, 2008 - 'C Great Smoky Mountains RR This is our annual FALL OPEN HOUSE RUN where Tom hosts an open house with
great food and plenty to see at his Bryson City shop/RR the day before
the run, (November 15th). Set-on will be at the Nantahala Outdoor Center, North Carolina with a run westbound to Andrews where we’ll turn
and run eastbound all the way to Bryson City. Total round trip miles will
be 68 miles. Cost is: $85.00. For a sign-up form or more info, contact:
E.C. Tom Falicon, 1227 Sawmill creek Rd., Bryson City, NC 28713, Ph;
828-488-8063 or email; [email protected]
'ovember 1, 2008 - PA 'orthern
Central Railroad The annual Hal'ovember 1 - 2, 2008 - CA
loween excursion on the Northern Central Railroad in New Freedom, PA, will
Santa Maria Valley Railroad
be held Saturday November 1, 2008.
Motorcar Operators West is
We will run the railroad twice that day
pleased to sponsor a two day run
for a round trip mileage of approxiover the Santa Maria Valley
mately 34 miles each trip. The set-on
Railroad. Approximately 20
for the first trip will be 9AM in New
round-trip miles between Santa
Freedom, PA. Set-on for the second trip
Maria and Guadalupe, CA. Sevwill be 3PM at the same location. The
eral round trips will be made
afternoon/evening excursion will ineach day including an evening
clude night running and a cookout in
run on Saturday night. The trip
the tunnel. This is a NARCOA excurfee of $65.00 for one day or
sion. Price for one or both trips is $25.
$80.00 for two days includes all
Send: name, address, phone #, e-mail
Photo by Jamie Haislip railroad costs and incidental
address, rulebook test #, insurance #,
MOW fees. The Annual Genand $25 payment to: NCRA, 54 Adams Jerry Clearwater spins his restored M-19 on the Black River eral Meeting will be held at a
Road, New Freedom, PA 17349 Dean and Western RR at the turnaround point near Flemington, 'J. restaurant lunch on Saturday and
Grote is coordinator. Questions: 717a Santa Maria Style Barbecue
637-7647
will be available at lunch on Sunday. This is a NARCOA insured excursion and all NARCOA rules will apply. MOW membership is encour'ovember 1, 2008 TX Texas State Railroad. Gulf Motorcars has aged but not required. Excursion coordinator is Bill Schertle. For trip
arranged a one day excursion of the Texas State Railroad for Saturday details go to the MOW website at mowonline.org or e-mail the coordiNovember 1, 2008. We will operate from Rusk Texas to Palestine and nator at [email protected]
will be operating along with the Railroads passenger trains. The trip will
cover 50 miles round trip. This will be a NARCOA insured trip and all 'ovember 2, 2008 - GA Stewartstown Railroad/ 'orthern Central
NARCOA rules will apply. All cars will be inspected and you must have RR. Join us for the first ever NARCOA excursion on the Stewartstown
a copy of your current rule book, 2008 insurance card as well as your Railroad. Set-on at the Franklin Street crossing in New Freedom, PA
Operators Certificate. You will be required to wear hard sole shoes/work and run to the station in Stewartstown, PA and return. Approximate round
boots, no exceptions. No home built cars will be allowed. The cost for trip mileage will be 14 miles. This will be a Northern Central Railcar
this trip will be $100.00/car which covers the railroad’s fee. The regis- Assoc. excursion. All NARCOA rules will be enforced. All cars will be
tration deadline is October 27, 2008. The event coordinators for this trip inspected. There is a 20 car limit. Price for this excursion is $20 per car.
will be Kelly Rick (713-665-0032) and John von Briesen (713-689-4184) After expenses are met, the balance of the money will be donated to the
Email - [email protected]
“Friends of the Stewartstown Railroad”. BONUS RIDE: After returning
to New Freedom, you can set-off or join us on a trip up the Northern Cen'ovember 1 - 2, 2008 - 'H Annual Snowflake Run NERCA in con- tral RR (34 mile RT). This Northern Central RR trip will be included in
junction with two great railroads, the New England Southern & Hobo the price of Saturday’s NCRR Halloween excursion for non-NCRA memRailroads for an exciting and beautiful late fall excursion in the White bers and will be free for all current NCRA members. All others $25. For
Mountains. Seton will be in Concord, NH and travel north arriving for information, contact Gary Shrey. [email protected] Cell: 717-586-3101
our overnight stay in Lincoln. Event fee of $325 includes excursion, Home: 717-227-9628 Send payment, name, address, phone #,e-mail adovernight accommodations, continental breakfast and the famous Hart’s dress and insurance numbers to: NCRA, 54 Adams Road, New Freedom,
Turkey Farm Turkey Dinner in our hotel, Roast Beef also available. Extra PA 17349 Make checks payable to NCRA.
The SETOFF
Nov. / Dec. 2008
Page 23
'ovember 15 - 16, 2008 - OK Farmrail Railroad The Oklahoma Railway Museum is sponsoring a motorcar ride on Farmrail Railroad. Saturday will be from Clinton, OK south on the old Frisco Line to Snyder,
OK and return. The Trip on Sunday will be on the former Rock Island
Line from Clinton West to Elk City and return. Set on for Saturday will
begin at 7:30 A.M .in Clinton, safety briefing at 8:20 A.M. and cars may
remain on the track over night for Sunday’s run at the Farmrail shops.
Set on Sunday is 8:00 A.M. with Safety Briefing at 8:50 AM. This is a
NARCOA insured event and NARCOA Rules apply. Cost for the run is
$70.00. Trip mileage on Saturday is approximately 127 miles, Sunday
approximately 65 miles. Coordinator is Drake Rice (405)478-3225 or
[email protected].
'ovember 21 - 22, 2008 - GA St. Marys Railroad Southeastern Railcar Operators, Inc has scheduled the fall ride for Nov. 21 - 22. Set on Location at the St. Marys Railroad office /engine house. RV’s and trailer
parking available in the lot next to the engine house. Details are not final,
but we may set on Friday afternoon with some track available for testing.
Saturday travel to Kingston and return, approximatly 24 mi. St. Marys
may provide a caboose ride after the trip with their diesel and restored caboose. We are adding $10 to the ride
this fall to cover the expense for the
diesel and caboose. If the caboose ride
does not run, $10 will be refunded to
each operator. NARCOA Operating
Rules and Regulations in effect. Current NARCOA Rules Examination and
Insurance required. Cost $50.00 per
car. Please send checks to Jay Boggs,
([email protected]) 3289 Country
Oaks Lane, Orange Park, FL 32065.
Telephone 904-215-2956. Excursion
coordinators Jay Boggs, Paul Pleasant.
December 13, 2008 - PA 'orth Shore Railroad ANNUAL TOYS FOR
TOTS RIDE - Ride the 86 miles RT of the North Shore Railroad from
Northumberland to Berwick and return. This is former Erie Lackawanna
track. As part of the fee for this ride, please bring a new, unwrapped toy
with you for either a boy or a girl. The Toys for Tots folks will be on
hand to collect the toys. We hope to have good press coverage for this
event. The public will be invited to bring a toy also and to see your motorcars. There will also be prizes for the best Christmas theme decorated
motorcars. Proof of NARCOA insurance required, all NARCOA rules
will be enforced. Registration fee - $55.00. Note: All CPE rides are rain
or shine. No cancellations due to weather. Hard soled shoes required, no
sneakers or sandals. Children must be closely supervised at all times.
Send check to: Central PA Excursions, PO Box 145, White Deer, PA
17887. Questions: (570) 538-9050 or email [email protected]
December 31, 2008 & January 01, 2009 - 'C Great Smoky Mountains RR “SUN or ICE Run” NARCOA insured run on the Great Smoky
Mountains RR in Bryson City, North Carolina. Set-on will be in Bryson
City, NC and total round trip miles for the two day event will be around
104 miles. Your sign-up fee also includes complimentary entrance for
two to our now famous New Years Eve
dinner extravaganza! Cost for this
event is $150.00. For a sign-up form
and more info contact: EC, Tom Falicon, 1227 Sawmill Creek Rd., Bryson
City, NC 28713, 828-488-8063, [email protected]
February 1, 2008 - January 31, 2009
- PA 'orthern Central Railroad The
Northern Central Railcar Association is
offering to NARCOA members, excursions on the Northern Central Railroad
from New Freedom, PA to York, PA, on
various dates between February 1,
2008 through January 31, 2009. Call
Dean Grote - EC at 717-637-7647 for
details.
'ovember 29, 2008 - CA Skunk
Train Annual Turkey Run - from
Willits, CA to Fort Bragg, CA and return on same day. Coordinator - C
Photo by Jamie Haislip
Patrick (Pat) Coleman - 1989 Robin
First & Third weekends of each
Ridge Ct - Walnut Creek, CA 94597 925-979-1030 or patcoleman@as- Clare, MI - Sept. 19, 2008. The Great Lakes Centeral RR month - 'C Red Springs & 'orthtound.net. Set-on - Saturday morning excursion passes the “V” shaped station that served the ern Railroad Excursions Held On A
November 29, 2006 - starting at 7:00 Ann Arbor RR and the C&O RR. This station has two bay Monthly or Bi-Monthly Basis 2008
a.m. at Commercial Street Station just windows - under the turret - enabling the agent to look season - Railcar Operators of the Carolinas (ROC) invites you to ride 12.5
east of Hwy 101. Departure 9:00 a.m. both north/south and east/west.
miles on the Red Springs & Northern
Approximately 39 miles each way. Run
Fee - $150.00 - Check payable to SWRC please mail to Pat at above ad- Railroad in Red Springs, located near Fayetteville, NC and 17 miles west
dress . Special requirements - Mobile radio requested but not required - of Lumberton /US 95 on Hwy 211. NARCOA rules are in effect. Trips
25 car limit. All NARCOA members having current NARCOA liability are mainly on Saturday starting in Red Springs and going north to Parkinsurance and Rule Book Certification are welcome. Membership in ton, NC and return. Cost is $20/day or ROC membership of $50/year.
Contact person: Carey Boney - EC, 1605 Powers Road, Wallace, NC
SWRC is not required.
28466. Tel: 910.285.7489 or [email protected]
December 5 - 7, and 12-14, 2008 - OR Oregon Pacific Railroad 3 day
run on the Oregon Pacific Railroad on 5,6,7 December 2008 and again 2008 season – Continuous, as needed - 'Y Middletown & 'ew Jeron December 12, 13, & 14 to give rides to the public in conjunction with sey Railway. The Volunteer Railroaders Association (VRA) invites you
SP4449 at the OHRF 2008 Holiday Express (www.ohrf.org). There will to ride the remaining 7 miles on the Middletown & New Jersey Railway
be no run fee for this event which will be based at Oaks Park in Portland between Johnson, NY and Middletown, NY. Trips are held on an as
Oregon. Depending on the number of A cars we will have space for 10 - needed basis to maintain a presence on the line, for fun, and motorcar
14 cars and experienced operators who wish to run one or more complete testing. The line is passable but overgrown and has been out of service
days. Cars must be fully NARCOA compliant however this is a NON- several years. We must contact the railroad 2 business days in advance
NARCOA event with insurance being provided by the railroad. For com- of any planned trip day. There is no fee, but a small donation would be
plete details of the event please contact:- Guy Howard, 94991 Toftdahl greatly appreciated. This is a NARCOA insured excursion, and all NARCOA rules will apply. Contact person: Christopher Vitz - EC, VRA HeadLane Junction City, Oregon 97448 541-998-5280 [email protected].
quarters 80 Royal Avenue, Hawthorne, NJ 07506 or via the Volunteer
Railroaders Association email address; [email protected] or call
973-238-0555.
Page 24
The SETOFF
Nov. / Dec. 2008
Wanted
MT19 parts: fiberglass cab parts and engine parts. I’m missing the piece of
fiberglass on the right side of the car (as you were sitting in the car facing
forward) that goes just behind the side window, between the window and door.
the piece goes all the way from the top of the side window to the bottom of
the window. Does anyone have a cab that is messed up and this piece is in
fair to good condition? Even poor condition is better than what I have, nothing. This could be the same as the 14’s, but not sure. Also needing an air filter housing for an B48G Onan. I have the base, just need the top.
[email protected] Brian Delaplaine
BMC2 Beavercar hydraulic tank. Do any of you out there have a hydraulic
tank or other parts for a BMC2 Beavercar you want to sell? Please contact
me with availability and price, so I can complete my car. Thanks. Craig W.
Hartman, Kinnelon, NJ 07405 [email protected] 973-838-4456 973-8383630 fax
Info on ST2 Fairmont Car with belt driven transmission with chain drive
rear axle. I need some pictures of parts and there location to help assemble
my car. If you have a ST2 or know someone that does please contact me.
William Thompson, 4062 Rockbluff Rd, Blakely, GA 39823 Phone: 229723-8231 Fax: 229-723-2357 E-mail: [email protected]
Manual for a Fairmont twin cylinder water cooled engine. Herb Chapman
Email me at [email protected]
Old Motorcar Ads. To illustrate an article, I would like to have copies of any
old motor car ads for Adams, Beavercar, Buda, Casey Jones, FairbanksMorse, Light Inspection Car Works, Kalamazoo, Mudge, NorthWestern,
Plasser, Portec, Railcar of Canada, Rockford, Sheffield, Sylvester, Tamper,
Wickham, and Woodings. I would appreciate anything, will gladly credit the
sender and am willing to reimburse postage. Leon Sapp
[email protected] 2405 East Renfro, Burleson, TX 76028
EXTRA CALENDARS:
Additional NARCOA 2009 Calendars are available for $6.00 each
(which includes the postage). The proceeds benefit NARCOA.
Send checks payable to NARCOA to:
GEK Printing, 8468 Haskell Hill Road, Wattsburg, PA 16442
For Sale
CPR A5 NARCOA ready Ex CPR car complete with all CPR service records.
Removed from service in 2001. 4 cyl Isuzu diesel with 4 speed standard transmission. Runs superbly. Working lights, spot lights, brake lights, strobe. Like
new wheels, New brake shoes. Running boards. More photos available on request. $4500 Neg. Contact: Mike Gravel, 744 Pinewood RD, North Bay
Phone: 705-475-9787 E-Mail: [email protected]
MT-14 Frame. Ex-CN. The frame is bare without axles, wheels, brakes, cab,
lift handles, motor, transmission or any electrics. The sweeps, control levers
and brake rod are there. It is in typical shape from being stored outdoors. The
floor pans are rusted through but the rest of the steel is ok. Email or call for
pictures or more information. Located in Everett, WA. Make an offer. Contact Giles Sydnor by email [email protected] or call (425) 829-7823.
M-19 with trailer. Ex CN #3700-83, older restoration, runs good, last run in
2004, garage kept, asking $5,000 or best offer. I can e-mail other pictures, just
ask. Contact Dennis Brubaker at (717) 665-9607 or [email protected].
CR-7 (M14) with highway trailer. This car was from the Canadian Pacific
Railroad and believed to be in service at Castlegar, B.C. Canada. I bought it
in 2002 it has been kept under wraps since that time. Runs very strong new
alternator and new fenders/running boards. The floor pans have significant
rust and are bent (no holes) from heavy RR use. I have new pans which are
included. It is NARCOA ready and fun to operate. Custom built trailer by
DHM from Les King tilt bed trailer drawings. The trailer was upgraded with
a longer frame (10’ bed) for better tilt angle, larger and heavier tubing with ¼”
x 2 flat bar on top of the tube rails, a hand winch and 2’ belt ratchet tie downs.
The car is in Auburn, CA and photos upon request Asking $3500 for both
obo. Contact Malcolm Frost by email [email protected] or call (530)
305-2145
MT-14, it is NARCOA ready, original Fairmont and Onan parts manual, completely disassembled, sand blasted, new plated or stainless hardware, three
coats of Federal yellow, eight gal. tank with new sediment bowl and fuel line,
wheels less than 500 miles on them, Les King turntable remote, new safety
glass, brake shoes, linkage and pins. All new sprockets in 2005, overhauled
Onan CCKB, rebuilt oil pump and carburetor, new clutch disc and throw out
bearing, Motorola Maxtrac radio programmed, 4 station intercom, 2 noise
cancelling headsets, VOX or P.T.T switches, 4 Northern Tool seats, adjustable
speed wipers, Hella headlight and Les King ditch lights, new canvas early
2006, 100% new wiring and rebuilt starter and alt., Wolo Silver Streak dual
air horns with an instant on compressor, chrome plated W.L.Jenkins bell. The
car performs well and is extremely reliable. More details on requies. $16,000
Lee Harris 815-455-9064 or email- [email protected]
M19B, S/N 57588 EX NW 6152. ROC engine. No coil. All original as from
RR. Lift bars, front tool boxes, all glass good,. No dents except back fenders. Sweeps, small side bell (not original), wiper motors, arms and blades,
gas tank. Plywood seat and engine cover. Original manual with reproduction
engine service instructions. Last ran several years ago, always garaged.
Added tow hitches, stop light and small wiring repairs. Will deliver up to l00
miles from Cookeville TN. $3000. Donald Schneider - Email: [email protected] Large pictures can be viewed at: http://s379.photobucket.com/albums/oo238/mdneyman/railcar/
Old motor cars, hand car for sale, ROC engine: Mudge, approx. 1917, ex
United Fruit, engine turns, good compression, direct drive, all wood with outrigger/tool tray, needs total restoration, $2500. Early ‘50s Northwestern, ex
Army car, from Oakland, CA, still in Army green paint (poor condition) with
tags, runs great, needs crank seals on Briggs engine, all orginal, about the size
of an M-9, uses M-9 size wheels, $4000. Mid ‘30’s Kalamazoo, all wood including wheels, ex Western Union, has property tag, crossbar holder for telegraph jobs, complete with cross bar, all original, runs, $4500. Fairmont
MM-19, sliding base, magneto engine, torpedo proof wheels, original, needs
restoration, engine turns, $3000. Sheffield hand car from Hudson Bay Railroad, new wood, about 90% original metal parts including 4 large matching
wheels, with one spare, foot gong, $8500. Complete ROC engine, rr rebuild,
never run, complete with 6v generator, no carb. $900, with carb core $1000.
Steel rail: about 20 lb rail, in 15 ft sticks, one switch, 2” high, 2” wide at base,
1” wide at top, about 1000 feet of rail, $1500. All located halfway between LA
and SF in CA. Contact Ron Zammit, [email protected], 805-489-5724.
1984 A4 motorcar has 4 Cyl Ford engine, new floor boards, wheels, brakes,
also has been repainted and looks new, Has new turntable, needs front windows. One of the last Canadian cars used by Canadian Pacific. The car is still
stored in a speeder shed on Canadian Pacific property! So you would be the
first private owner to own it. Have all paperwork with car,and selling it on
their behalf. E-mail for photos. Steven Rigby Phone: 1-250-367-7348 $3500.
OBO E-Mail [email protected] or [email protected]
Original MT-14 Tomah cab needs restoration. Milwaukee Road Tomah
Shops built cab, not a replica, new aluminum peaked roof including gutters.
Left panel on front end needs replacing. Diamond plate steel running boards
require straightening and body panel have 1/4” holes where some one apparently covered window openings with plywood. Hinges on doors need replacement. I have not started engine. With car is new 10 gal SS gas tank and
new A car brake shoes and liners. Price is $3,250.00 firm,as is where is. Free
delivery within 50 miles. Pat Coleman, 1989 Robin Ridge Ct - Walnut Creek,
CA 94597, Phone: 925-979-1030, Fax:925-979-1609 E-Mail: [email protected]
The SETOFF
THERE IS A RIGHT WAY AND A WRONG
WAY TO DO EVERY TASK.
THE WRONG WAY IS NOT WORTH TRYING.
Nov. / Dec. 2008
Page 25
Parts 3 A-3 reversing rear axles 2/w hubs,bearings,collars $1000.00 to
$1500.00 each. 2 ICK engines w/transmissions, fly wheels, clutch et/al
1000.00 to $2000.00 each. These engines are “NOT” froze up nor are the
transmissions. The trans. are 4 speed. As a package this would be $5000.00
to $8500. $2000.00 as is where is. Ask questions. Harold L. Moore
[email protected]
MT14 #41 1831. Good CCKB, Working hydraulic Turntable with Manual
lock and handpump. Needs fuel tank. More photos on request. $2200US.
Delivery could be arranged for added cost. Located in North Bay, Ontario.
Contact: Mike Gravel [email protected] 705-475-9787
1993 Dodge Dakota Hy-Rail.V8, Auto/OD, 4X4, LE Extended Cab, Power
Everything, PS, PB, PW, PM, PL, Tilt, Cruse, CD, Topper, 111000 miles,
Fairmont HR1000 HY-Rail W/Rubber wheels, good condition. RTR $5000.
Also Fairmont ROC rebuilt engine $900. Stan Conyer [email protected] 812-322-1949 Columbus IN
MT19 front without glass. Front is used but in good condition and includes
the “grab” bars. The front is priced at $500.00. Will not charge for crate to
ship in. Also have two MT19 used floor panels that I will include no charge.
Email me with any questions. Kevin Sprayberry [email protected] .
Liquidating the fleet. All in need of different degrees of restoration, I will
consider any offers. MT-19 w/ Onan engine (good compression), no cab,
runs, $1500. NC&StL A3 w/ waukesha 4 cylinder, cab, $1500. N&W M19 partially restored, full cab, $1500. SCL M-19 no cab (2), $1500 each.
ST-2 car disassembled, $800. S-2 car disassembled, $800. Maine Central
M-19 nearly fully restored, cab, $2000. Honda 50 rail bike, $1000. SCL M5
caboose, fully restored inside and out, $25,000. Don’t hesitate to email me
with any questions. Contact: Wes Coscia, 17648 Pine Knoll Dr. Dade City,
FL. 33523 Phone: 813-927-5021 Fax:352-518-8092 E-Mail:
[email protected]
M19-H EX FRISCO Strong Engine, good wheels, 12 volt with original alternator, new curtains. Has original wiper motor and arms. NARCOA ready.
Parts Car in rough condition. Spare coil. Comes with home made trailer.
$2500 obo for all. Call Joe Murphey at 417.483.2235
MT19 Speeder for sale with trailer, Car runs great has first aid kit, fire extinguisher, roof becon, head lights, brake light, Fairmont turntable and a spare
brand new clutch. Asking $5,000 US. The car is located in Washington State.
Contact Ryan Handel [email protected]
Push Cart Heavy Duty Steel frame, with wood decking. Makes it light
weight to be pulled with smaller cars. It can haul a bundle of ties with ease.
$750 obo. Ron Tessier 253-732-8424 [email protected]
CR7 This car was completely rebuilt in 2005 including the engine. Lots of
pictures of the rebuild process available upon request. 1975 Canadian car
ROC engine, upgraded solid state ignition. I routinely carry 4 passengers and
can achieve speeds up to 34 MPH. NARCOA ready and comes with a radio
antenna. Asking $4000 or offers (have nearly $4500 invested excluding
labor). Feel free to contact me for more information or pictures. Dave Voeltz,
Pierre, SD 605-224-2964 [email protected]
M19 Motorcar Package. Original NYC, No. 1100, Big Four car previously
owned by Doug Leffler. Has Fairmont manual and original railroad invoice.
Car has an ROB engine but will also include an ROC as well. Also includes
various spare parts including rear pulley and two new Pontiac buzz-box coils.
There are two new seats—never out of the box and all parts for air compressor, attachment for horns, including tank. Trailer with custom steel rails and
hand winch for easy loading and unloading. Haven’t run car for about 5 years,
but rebuilt the C5 carb when first purchased. Will even throw in a foot-tall
stack of Set-Off issues as well. I’m told package is probably worth about
$7,000, but I’m open to offers. Call Troy Strane at (517) 617-1908 or e-mail
me at [email protected].
M19, Ex frisco car. Car originally had a ROC, i put in an RKB twin. MSD
ignition, new boat seats, new glass, inspection window on operators front,
new brakes, very good wheels. All new wiring, with almost all wire ends soldered and heat shrinked, new battery, battery disconect. needs is curtains,
horn wired in and one lift handle ends are broken, some painting if you
Page 26
The SETOFF
wanted, and new wood blocks on the back of the floor. $4000. Email for
pictures. [email protected]
5 'OS Fairmont/Pontiac Coils F7996 Three are the 12V version - have
12V stamped in the wood. Also the date March 1993 is printed under the
back. Never used and stored inside the whole time so they are in perfect condition. Two are the 6V coils that are still sealed in Fairmont cardboard boxes.
$150 each + shipping. Contact Jeremy Winkworth at [email protected]
or 269-388-5058
Used Commercial Mobile Radio. Vertex FTL-2011 VHF (148-174 MHZ).
12 Channel Digital Display. Scan function. Comes with a new Vertex Microphone, and new heavy-duty power cord. Programmed for the NARCOA
frequency. $100 plus shipping. Sorry-No mounting bracket! Contact: Steve
Treibel (505) 281-3646, [email protected].
A-6/8 turntable and Oil tank, no pump or hoses. Located near Eugene, OR
$1,500. Can deliver to Colorado NG Tour. Use subject Turntable, we are
gone a lot, be patient I will answer legitimate E mail [email protected]. Jim
Spicer
MT-19 CN fiberglass cab with doors, fresh paint cab-off restoration 2 yrs ago.
new double roller chain, wheels are within spec, electric fuel pump,etc, onan
runs well, new Les King seats, just needs battery, Narcoa compliant. $4900
Eric Keough Marquette, MI (906) 360-9960
MT-19 Onan CCKB, Turntable, Hunter Heater, Seats raised 1 1/2” for more
leg room, Seat Belts, NARCOA ready. A nice running car ready to go. $6,500
Any questions call Gary Greenwood, Leslie, MI 517 589-8155
1938 'orthwestern 566-W Railroad Motorcar. (PA) Ford Industrial transmission with 3 forward and one reverse gear ,Ford Industrial, digital instruments and electrical distribution system. AM/FM High power 25 watt x 4
channel Cassette Radio system with 4 6x9 boxed speakers. Interior has lights,
heat, dual fire extinguishers, and coffee maker, front and rear class II receiver
hitches, windshield wipers and tail and brake lights and headlight. Super
heavy duty 2 wheel chain drive system. 4 wheel brake system. Hand clutch,
dual crank turntable, 10 Gal. gas tank and 5 Gal. reserve, Electric fuel pump
and Analog instruments that include Oil pressure, Amp and Water Temp
gauges. Car is NARCOA ready and the only one known to still exist. Car will
hold driver and 4 passengers. Has heavy duty cargo rack on the back, complete. Two axle trailer that tilts hydraulically goes with the car. Car is good
to go but is a 1938 and is sold as, where is with no warrantee whatsoever. I
have had this car on several trips in 7 or 8 states. My price is 12,500.00 or best
offer Thanks for looking. My email is [email protected] and phone is
570-916-5203 Steve Kepner
MT-14-L track car. (PA) It hasn’t been out for several years and my interests
lie else where. Asking $5500 for the car and trailer. It ran good last time out.
It will need a new battery and some clean-up. There are extra bits that go with
it.Can be seen in Elizabethtown. Paul J Wilcox (717) 367-1602 1713 Ridge
Rd, Elizabethtown, PA 17022
EXTRA CALENDARS:
Additional NARCOA 2009 Calendars are available for $6.00 each
(which includes the postage). The proceeds benefit NARCOA.
Send checks payable to NARCOA to:
GEK Printing, 8468 Haskell Hill Road, Wattsburg, PA 16442
'ARCOA does not guarantee, certify or warrant that any mechanical equipment, modification, solution or device described in
articles or advertisements in The SETOFF are safe or suitable for
any members’ needs or purposes. Technical articles are provided
for members’ consideration only. Readers are advised to do their
own due diligence to determine the safety and suitability of any
such equipment, modification, solution, or device for their purposes, and are advised to seek outside expert advice.
Nov. / Dec. 2008
Suppliers
If you are a supplier of motorcar parts or services, and wish to be included here,
please contact [email protected]. o endorsement is made of the products,
services, or vendors. All listings are for members’ consideration only, and are at
the discretion of the Editor.
Atlantic Rail Cars / Warren Riccitelli, [email protected] 39 Jacksonia Drive, North Providence, RI 02911 phone: (401) 232-0992 Fax: (401)
231-7073. Brake Shoes, brake liners, and brake parts for most cars.
Carey Boney, [email protected] or 1605 Powers Road, Wallace,
N C 28466 phone (910) 285-7489. Engine & Carburetor gaskets - RKB Twin
engine set.
Brown Railroad Equipment / Dan Brown, www.brownrr.com. 4 Amersham Court, Glen Carbon, IL 62034. (618) 797-5484. The entire remaining
Fairmont factory inventory of motorcar parts was bought by Brown when
Fairmont stopped making speeders in the early 1990’s. Web site has NOS
inventory look up by part number. Over 200 cars for sale.
motorcar manuals, performance sheets, parts lists, maintenance instructions.
Fredericksburg Shops, [email protected] or leskingmotorcars.com
or 209 Creamery Rd., Fredericksburg, Ohio 44627, phone: 330-465-0713
2PM-6PM EST. Newly manufactured motor car parts and accessories. Many
original producers identified, and their parts are again for sale. Shop also
does car repair. Formerly Les King & Company.
Doug Heinmuller, www.dhrc.clco.us P.O. Box 111, 153 Bobbin Mill Rd,
Lunenburg, VT 05906, phone 802-892-6144. Former ONAN dealer has
many Fairmont and ONAN parts. Complete engine & transmission rebuilding. For a detailed list of parts available, see website.
'ewman Machinery, OUT OF BUSINESS. Dudley Newman writes that he
still has a few parts left that he is selling on railspeeders.com, but otherwise
he’s out of business. Please, only call him in response to one of those ads.
Tom Phair [email protected] phone (925) 820-4159.
Complete line of the David Clark Company Intercom systems and railroad
type Motorola Radios; new double chain sprocket kits, large inventory of
NOS Fairmont parts. Some motorcars for sale.
Motorcar Shipment by Truck, Charlie Lix, Reno, NV. (775) 742-7366.
Costs depend on being able to combine several speeders, or speeders with
other general freight.
[>narcoa_company_store>]
Railroad Motor Car Resource Library / Doug Cummins, [email protected] 1146 W. 27th St. Independence, MO 64052-3222. Library of rail
Wheel Inspection Tools -The clear plastic wheel profile is necessary to determine if the wheel is flat, thin in the flange
area, or has wear between the flange and the flat section of the tread. Use the wheel profile as your first step in diagnosing “hunting” on the rails. Use two of the clear plastic wheel profiles to determine track gauge. The stainless steel
caliper is necessary to determine if you have the required 1/8” minimum wheel thickness. One plastic wheel profile is
$11 including s/h. Two plastic profiles are $17 including s/h. Stainless steel wheel calipers with laser printing (they’ll
outlast your grandson!) are $30 each including s/h. One plastic profile and one stainless steel wheel caliper go for $35
including s/h. Two plastic profiles and one stainless steel wheel caliper caliper are the best combination for $40 including s/h. The calipers have a bold mark at the 1/8” minimum. Make your check payable to NARCOA, and mail to Warren Riccitelli, 39 Jackson Drive, North Providence, RI 02911 E-mail questions to: [email protected]
Please note: each item is shipped from the person in charge of that particular product.
Profits from Company Store sales go to ARCOA.
Reproduction Fairmont Data Plates - These plates fit on the engine cover. They are correct for
late 1930's to late 1960's cars. M9 M14 M19 S2 ST2 A3 A5 59C - maybe others. $6.00 per plate except Membership plate which is $3.00. Include SSAE with one stamp for each plate (Three Plates per
envelope maximum) to: Richard C. Ray, 5 Hemlock Place, Randolph, NJ 07869 All Profits go to
NARCOA - Make checks out to NARCOA. [email protected]
The SETOFF
'ARCOA Lanterns - NARCOA has received another order of Trainman's lanterns produced by
Star Headlight and Lantern. They are model 292
featuring a bright halogen lamp along with a conventional bulb. A standard 6 volt lantern battery is
required (not included). The body is orange plastic with the NARCOA name, motorcar logo, and
"Safety First" imprinted. The lamps are effective
for night signaling, and make great presentation
items for our railroad hosts. Cost is $29.00 each
plus $5.00 shipping for the first lantern and $1.50
s/h for each additional lantern per order. Shipping
is free on case lot orders of 12 lanterns. Make your
check payable to NARCOA, and mail to Dave
Verzi, NARCOA Lantern, 3922 Rocky River Dr.
Cleveland, OH. 44111 phone 216.941.5273,
[email protected]
Nov. / Dec. 2008
Page 27
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First Iowa
Division
A Club Affiliate
in Iowa
By Carl Schneider
The First Iowa Division (FID), a club
affiliate, was formed in 1990 as part of
NARCOA Area 7. Most FID rides are in
Iowa and Missouri, but excursions have
been done in Nebraska, Minnesota, Wisconsin, both Dakotas, and package tours as
far away as Colorado, Idaho, Washington,
and Oregon. We usually have 14 or more
trips scheduled during the year giving
members plenty of opportunities to ride
their motor cars.
The FID has hosted events on over 30
different railroads over the years including
the Boone & Scenic Valley, Minnesota
Southern, Dakota Southern, Red River
Valley & Western, Ozark Valley, Appanoose County, COLT (Columbia Terminal), Ft. Leonard Wood Army Base,
Photos by Carl Schneider
Barbecue at the ex-Wabash depot in Moravia, IA.
Nebraska Central, Fremont & Elkhorn Valley, Iowa Interstate, Iowa Northern, Iowa
River, Nebkota Railway, Nebraska Northeastern, Nebraska Central, Dakota Southern, Sisseton & Milbank, and Burlington
Northern.
While many of these lines travel
through Midwest corn and bean fields,
there are also many very scenic sights to
enjoy such as high bridges and runs along
rivers and through the woods. The Midwest isn’t as flat as outsiders might think,
and the scenery varies greatly! To enhance
the rides, FID sometimes includes night
runs and special meals such as barbecues
and potlucks. We took a special tour
through the locomotive rebuilding shops of
RELCO at Albia, IA on one of our rides.
Most recently in 2008, First Iowa Division did tours in Colorado, Idaho, Washington, and Oregon, with over 1200 track
miles for the trip. These excursions were
on lines familiar to western members in-
Set-on at the Appanoose County Railroad in Centerville, IA.
cluding the San Luis & Rio Grande, San
Luis Central, Denver & Rio Grande Scenic, Leadville & Southern, Bountiful Grain
& Craig Mountain (ex-Camas Prairie), St.
Maries River, Pend Oreille, Wallowa, and
the Washington & Idaho.
All FID excursions are NARCOA-insured and use the NARCOA rule book.
Hy-rails and A-cars are welcome on rides
unless a particular railroad requests differently. The First Iowa Division has no
membership dues, which means that if you
ride on an FID excursion, you’re automatically considered a member. Over 100
member’s photos are on our website. Just
click a name to see if you recognize that
person.
Check our website www.firstiowadivision.com for last minute excursion announcements, and come ride the First Iowa
Division!
Mike McClurg’s M-19 in the lead on the
Boone & Scenic Valley Railroad in Boone, IA.